Spain’s high reliance on renewable energy has left it vulnerable to power outages, as recently highlighted by the 18-hour blackout that affected the country and Portugal. The widespread outage raised questions about the resilience of the electric power infrastructure in Europe.
The Iberian Peninsula’s investment in renewable energy sources like wind turbines and solar farms has led to a significant reduction in fossil fuel use and lower electricity prices. However, this shift may have made the grid more prone to disruptions, as conventional power sources are less stable than intermittent ones.
Old-line generation sources like gas turbines and nuclear plants provide inertia, which helps maintain grid frequency during fluctuations. The Spanish grid became unstable midday on Monday, highlighting the need for backup capacity. Analysts suggest that retaining conventional generation sources could help mitigate future outages.
Europe is investing in grid upgrades and storage to address renewable energy expansion. However, investment in grids has lagged behind alternative energy investments over the past 15 years. Spain requires more investments in grid infrastructure and additional storage facilities like batteries to provide backup power.
The power outage also raised questions about energy island status, as Spain and Portugal are heavily reliant on each other for electricity transmission. Interconnectors help balance power systems, but their limited capacity exacerbated the situation during the blackout.
The incident may lead to increased pressure to improve connectivity between the Iberian Peninsula and Central Europe. It also highlights the need for more thought and money invested in managing renewable energy sources, which can be volatile due to wind and sun fluctuations.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/business/spain-renewable-energy-power-grid.html