Spain’s blackout: Renewable energy progress reveals risks
We are entering unknown territory, and this in turn causes problems with network management, said Ignacio Urbasos, an analyst at the Royal Elcano Institute in Spain, commenting on Monday’s power outage in Spain. He pointed to the sharp increase in the share of renewable energy sources and the lack of international connections.
Ignacio Urbasos, an analyst at the Spanish Royal Elcano Institute, noted that the Spanish electricity system is rapidly moving towards decarbonisation, reaching record levels of renewable energy sources (RES) share.
Thus, we are entering unknown territory, and this in turn causes problems with network management, added Urbasos.
However, he emphasised that power outages are not the exclusive domain of systems with a high share of renewable energy sources. Italy experienced a similar situation in 2003, even before the expansion of solar and wind energy; what's more, it took several days to resolve back then, reminded the analyst.
Referring to the case of Spain, he stated that quickly restoring power supply in less than 24 hours shows the resilience of the national energy system, but the outage also exposes its weaknesses, such as the lack of international energy connections.
Connections with Morocco and France were key in the process of restoring the system’s operation, but proved insufficient to prevent its collapse, observed the expert.
Restoration of power in Spain after blackout
The operator reported on Tuesday morning that nearly 100% of power supply in Spain had been restored by 7 am after a major outage that occurred at about 12:30 pm on Monday. As stated by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the power network lost 15 gigawatts, which corresponds to 60% of the national demand, in just five seconds.
The causes of the situation are still under investigation. As Urbasos emphasised, everything indicates a technical failure in the management of the electrical network. However, he noted that it is too early to issue opinions, and we should await an official statement from the national operator, Red Electrica.
The issue of renewable energy sources in the context of the blackout was also highlighted in a comment for PAP by Prof. Diego Rodriguez from Complutense University in Madrid.
– The outage in Spain showed that we do not sufficiently appreciate the security of supply until it fails. In this sense, it proves that the development of RES, particularly solar energy, must be closely linked with systems such as energy storage, which allow for a very quick response to unforeseen events, noted the scientist.
