From Guest Blogger Tina Samuels: Going Green in Spain

Going green is a global movement as climate change, loss of natural resources, and other biodiversity issues are impacting the entire planet.

Spain has had a bright future in renewable energy, in fact President Obama pointed to the efforts of Spain as a model for other countries.

Efforts were made to encourage investors to put money into renewable energy in the country, while government subsidies seemed to secure Spain’s green future.

But just where is Spain’s green movement these days?

Replacing Fossil Fuel

As of April 2013, wind power contributed to about 18% of the country’s overall power output.

Wind turbines were built in the preceding years, along with solar panel ‘farms’ that are larger than some villages. Spain’s government promised huge subsidies to the programs which enticed investors from all over the world.

These investors felt safe knowing that the government had promised the subsidies. Billions of dollars poured into Spain’s renewable energy platforms. The plan set into motion a strategy to bring in cash and help cut Spain’s dependence on imported fuel.

Retro-Reductions?

The initial subsidies promised were huge, so large that investors believed there would be reductions eventually. This didn’t phase the investors nor did it cause alarm among any of the people in ownership of the renewable energy businesses.

From 2010 until 2013 there were a total of 13 reductions in the subsidies, which again, were expected. Something that was unexpected were the total reduction of subsidies in the future and in retroactivity. Retroactive reductions would be back to the beginning of the original program.

Near Tarragona, a solar entrepreneur laments the future of renewable energy. When speaking to The World.Org, Mark Segure stated that he didn’t believe that there was a secure future in Spain for renewables now. Investors not only lost future earnings, they lost previously earned returns.

BioDiversity or Bio-Hazard?

Spain has several UNESCO sites, two of which are being threatened by building projects.

The building projects are hailed as a way to help Spain house young people and to offer more jobs. Protesters are angry and point to the fact that a housing project near one, Philip II’s Cathedral, will disqualify the historic landmark from its’ UNESCO World Heritage Site status. This could be devastating in tourism dollar loss.

While Spain had been a world leader in renewable energy production, the country was also listed as a major polluter. Water and air pollution in major cities have caused this problem.

All over the country people are looking for new jobs away from the renewable energy sector.

Some people that are not aware of the manner that the green jobs were lost and try to blame the job loss as proof that green collar jobs aren’t ‘worth it’. Far from the truth, the loss of funding came not from the green market, but from the double dip recession and housing crash in Spain.

This financial disaster caused the government to rip away subsidies which has flatlined green power in the country.

No one is quite sure how the market will recover or if it will see any recovery.

In the meantime, Spain’s green movement looks for answers to move the country in what it sees as the right direction.

About the Author: Tina Samuels writes on social media, small business, mobile payments, and healthcare solutions.