Spain Could Deploy 6.48 GW of Offshore Solar Capacity

⚡ AI Executive Summary

Researchers at the University of A Coruña have assessed Spain's potential for floating offshore solar installations, finding that the country's coastline could support between 4.45 and 6.48 GW depending on maritime spatial planning constraints. The capacity would meet a meaningful share of national electricity demand. The study, the first systematic evaluation using Spain's official Maritime Spatial Planning framework, highlights offshore solar as a complement to traditional wind development. Floating PV systems offer tangible advantages—cooling effects improve performance by up to 10%, and competing land-use conflicts disappear at sea. However, water depth, mooring requirements, and geographic fragmentation create significant site-selection challenges. The uneven distribution of potential across Spain's maritime zones—with concentration in the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions under different planning scenarios—underscores the need for explicit regulatory designation. Grid operators should view this emerging technology not as competitive with offshore wind but as a portfolio diversifier that could enhance system stability through hybrid deployment strategies.