Uruguay ranks second in the world as wind and solar energy generating country

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Gonzalo Marquez, economist and former Director of Transportation of the Municipality of Montevideo, released a ranking prepared by the Canadian magazine Visual Capitalist, which ranks Uruguay as the second country in the world in wind and solar energy generation.

According to the publication, 46.7% of all the electricity that Uruguay produced in 2021 came from renewable sources, particularly wind and solar energy.

The ranking is led by Denmark (51.9%), followed by Uruguay, third is Luxembourg (43.4%), the fourth country is Lithuania (36.9%), and fifth comes Spain (32.9%).

Of the ten countries that lead the ranking, Uruguay is the only one that is not European, which positions it as one of the world leaders in technology for the integration of highly renewable grids.

Marquez, who specializes in mobility, transportation, and energy, highlighted that Uruguay has been very well positioned in wind and solar generation at a global level for years and that the country has “an unbeatable base to advance decisively in the electrification of our mobility”.

“The priority should be public transportation, cabs, remises, transport by applications, and urban logistics,” he added.

The economist highlighted on the social network Twitter that although the Frente Amplio governments “have great merit for having proposed, designed, and led changes, it is also good to remember this was done in a multi-party agreement”.

“In February 2010, the work of the multi-party commission culminated, which, according to Ramón Méndez, reached ‘important agreements and laid the foundation for the energy policy for the next 20 years.’ There was broad consensus on the energy policy. That is a strength of the energy policy and a factor in its success, which its drivers have always highlighted. The promotion of electric mobility should be a continuity of the energy policy and should have a broad multi-party agreement. Moreover, generating a broad agreement on the decarbonization of mobility (electric mobility is part of it) is strategic for Uruguay,” said the specialist.

TOP 10 COUNTRIES (SOLAR/WIND POWER SHARE)

1. Denmark (51.9%)
2. Uruguay (46.7%)
3. Luxembourg (43.4%)
4. Lithuania (36.9%)
5. Spain (32.9%)
6. Ireland (32.8%)
7. Portugal (31.5%)
8. Germany (28.8%)
9. Greece (28.7%)
10. United Kingdom (25.2%)