Summary for
Global Winds of Change: The Development of the Wind Energy Industry
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Introduction
The Kingdom of Spain (Spain) islocated in Western Europe, east ofPortugal and southwest of France. Itstotal land surface is approximately504,782 square kilometers, which isroughly twice the size of the state ofOregon in the northwestern UnitedStates. Its climate is temperate and itsland surface largely flat with scatteredrugged hills and the Pyrenees range tothe north. The population as of mid-2008 was roughly 40.5 million, with apopulation growth rate of 0.096% (CIA,2008). The country lacks a reliablesupply of fossil fuels and is subject toregular intense droughts that reduce itsability to produce hydropower. In thepast two decades, this has led Spain to begin developing a renewable energysector to eliminate fossil fueldependence. The purpose of thisresearch was to find how the windenergy industry was influenced bysocioeconomic factors over time.Spain is considered one ofEurope’s largest developed economieswith its gross domestic product (GDP)in 2007 at nearly $1.4 trillion, placingper capita GDP at roughly $33,600.Investment represented roughly 31.1%of GDP. In the last few years, it has alsoposted annual GDP growth of roughly3-4%, with a slowdown this year due tothe global financial crisis. Historically,the Spanish economy has seen boomand bust periods over its growth. From1986 to 1990, it experienced an average5% annual GDP growth, but thatdeclined substantially in the early 1990’sas Europe entered a recession. Growthpicked up again in 1994, with a bit of aslowdown in the early 2000s. As of 2007,the labor force was roughly 22.2 millionand unemployment was at 8.3% (CIA,2008).Fiscally, the government has beenexperiencing budget surpluses in thelast few years, with 2007 posting a $32 billion surplus. In 2007, total public debtwas at 36.2% of GDP and the inflationrate was a mere 2.8%. The leadingeconomic sectors in Spain are tourism,textiles, metals, food and beverages,chemicals, and automakers (CIA, 2008).Recently, the renewable energysector in Spain has been growingrapidly, becoming a significanteconomic sector. Wind energy alonenow provides roughly 45,000 jobs,comparatively greater than jobsprovided by conventional energies, andcompanies like Iberdrola, Gamesa, andAcciona are expanding their businessglobally (IEA, 2008). This summaryprovides an overview of how the windenergy industry in Spain has developedover time and the factors that influencedits development.
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Me desculpes por ese error...que bien que trabajas en el Estado Unidos.Lisa
Que bien que puedes hablar las dos lenguas.En que parte de Espana vives?Yo conosco el paez un poco...me fue a varios ciudades de bacaciones.Desculpame por mis faltas en la gramatica.....es muy enteresante de lo que escribes...Que tengas un buen dia, Lisa
Hola. No vivo en Espana. Soy de nacionalidad Dominicana y vivo en Estados Unidos.
Hablo un poco Espanol...hablas el Ingles? Lisa
Yes, both languages. Si, ambos lenguajes.