the guardian - foeeurope - the independent - READING LEVELS B1 B2 🇬🇧
Spain plans (1)_____________ to 100% renewable electricity by 2050.
By mid-century greenhouse gas emissions would be (2)_________ by 90% from 1990 levels under Spain’s draft climate change and energy transition law.
To do this, the country’s social democratic government is committing to installing at least 3,000MW of wind and solar power capacity every year in the next 10 years ahead.
It sets a groundbreaking long-term goal, provides incentives on (3)__________ emissions technologies and cares about a good transition for the workforce.
In 2019 Spain gets roughly a third of its power from renewable sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, (4)______, waves, and geothermal heat.
New licences for fossil fuel drills, hydrocarbon exploitation and fracking wells, will be banned, and a fifth of the state budget will be reserved for measures that can mitigate climate change. This money will (5)______________ from 2025.
Contracts will be (6)________, similar to the package announced in October, that will shut most Spanish coalmines in return for a suite of early retirement schemes, re-skilling in clean energy jobs, and environmental restoration, to ensure no one is left behind in the transition.
The government has already (7)___________ a controversial “sun tax” that halted Spain’s booming renewables sector earlier this decade.
Energy efficiency will also be improved by 35% within 11 years, and government and public sector authorities will be able to lease only buildings that have almost zero energy consumption.
Apartment buildings will be able to produce their own (8)_________ renewable electricity. 65% of Spanish citizens live in apartment buildings. Nearby buildings can exchange surplus renewable electricity with each other through "proximity" (virtual) self-consumption – a win for community energy. Citizens will have the right to gain (9)____________for surplus renewable electricity they inject into the grid, with simplified billing for small installations. They will no longer need to be considered freelance or small businesses to receive this revenue.
The regulations, contained in a Royal Decree, bring to an end a four-year (10)_________ during which the country of the sun installed zero new renewable capacity. Companies say they are being overwhelmed and working round the clock to meet the demand after the government decree eliminated bureaucratic (11)_______________ and installation prices dropped dramatically. Experts are convinced that in very little time, apartments will not just have energy-producing panels, but also storage batteries. The greatest energy savings come from storing energy that is not immediately consumed.
By planning on going carbon neutral, Spain shows that the battle against climate change is deadly serious, that they are ready to step up and plan to (12)__________ the rewards of decarbonisation.
No dates were included in the legislation for phaseouts of coal or nuclear energy, and a ban on new cars with petrol or diesel engines was delayed until 2040.
EXERCISES
1. Put the words in the blank spaces
a. ratchet upwards b. tides c. slashed d. drawn up e. scrapped f. scaling up g. switch h. rooftop i. hiatus j. revenue k. reap l. hurdles
2. Find in the text the synonims to the following words:
BORE A WHOLE TO EXTRACT TRAINING MORE OR LESS REVOLUTIONARY ELECTRICITY NET
PROVISIONAL WRITTEN VERSION RENT OUT CLOSE DOWN EXTRA
3. choose A, B, C from the following questions
1. what is the meaning of the expression "SUITE" in blue in the text?
a.- a double room
b.- a packet of measures
c.- something that needs to be changed
2. what is the meaning of the expression "working round the clock " in blue in the text?
a.- working extra hours
b.- working to meet the deadlines
c.- working 24/7
3.- what are the not so positive news of this policy?
a.- that there would be job loss
b.- it doesn't set a withdrawal for traditional energies
c.- that it will shut down most coalmines
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