The islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera currently only generate 4 per cent of their electricity from renewables - one of the lowest percentages in the whole of Spain.
Yet the islands have seen the sustainable light. Under a draft law tabled by the Balearic government, the islands would source 35 per cent of their electricity from renewables by 2030, rising to 100 per cent by 2050.
The law would require the installation of solar panels on all roofs larger than 1,000 square metres and the phasing out of coal plants. The sale of new diesel cars would be banned by 2025 – thereby also improving air quality - and all street and road lighting be replaced by LEDs.
The Spanish government, which subsidizes energy consumed in the Balearics, is now considering the plan. The national government is also currently drafting a new climate law aimed at ensuring compliance with the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.
Read more on the Balearic island’s energy plan for 2050 here. Discover how the falling price of solar power is leading to record deployment in the ‘Global trends in renewable energy investment’ report by UN Environment and partners here.
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