A sudden blackout in Spain and Portugal has sparked debate about the role of solar power in causing the grid failure, but experts say it’s not conclusive evidence that excessive solar power triggered the outage.
Understanding the Iberian Blackout: Separating Fact from Fiction
The Grid Operators’ Perspective
The sudden blackout that hit Spain and Portugal in April has sparked intense debate about the role of solar power in causing the grid failure. However, the head of the Spanish electricity transmission system operator Red Electrica (REE), ‘Eduardo Prieto’ , has already ruled out a cyberattack as the cause of the outage.
The Iberian blackout refers to a series of widespread power outages that affected 'Portugal and Spain' in June 2012.
The outage was caused by a combination of factors, including high demand for electricity, inadequate infrastructure, and technical issues with the transmission grid.
Approximately 5 million people were left without power during the outage, which lasted for several hours.
Investigations revealed that human error and inadequate maintenance contributed to the blackout.
Since then, efforts have been made to upgrade the grid and improve energy efficiency.
According to Prieto , two separate incidents within 1.5 seconds of each other in southwestern Spain threw the grid frequency off balance, causing the outage of power plants with a capacity of 15 gigawatts (GW). This domino effect may have been triggered by solar power plants, but it is not conclusive evidence that excessive solar power caused the blackout.
The Claim: Excessive Solar Power
Critics of renewable energies claim that an oversupply of solar power triggered the blackout. However, this theory has been largely debunked by experts. ‘Fritz Vahrenholt,’ a German chemistry professor and energy transition critic, had explained in another post that before the grid failure in Spain , the production of renewable energies, especially solar, had increased more than demand.
Solar power is a renewable energy source generated from the sun's rays.
Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into electricity, making it a clean and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), solar power capacity worldwide increased by 25% in 2020 alone.
With decreasing costs and increasing efficiency, solar power is becoming a viable option for homes, businesses, and industries globally.
However, data available so far contradict Vahrenholt’s thesis. Even if all solar plants had been taken off the grid at the same time, there would not have been a shortfall of 15 GW, but at least of 20.4 GW as the PV output at the time of the blackout was at least 17 GW.
The Role of Technical Solutions
Experts agree that sudden high solar power can be a problem for electricity grids, but technical solutions are available to mitigate this issue. The introduction of grid connection guidelines in Spain and certification procedures for PV systems have helped prevent sudden disconnections from the grid.
However, the lack of instantaneous reserve, which is the stabilizing effect provided by turbines from coal and nuclear power plants, may have contributed to the blackout. ‘Sönke Rogalla,’ a researcher at Fraunhofer , confirmed that this could be a contributing factor but rejected the claim that a high proportion of renewable energies is an unsolvable problem.
Conclusion
The theory that ‘an oversupply of solar (power)’ was the reason for the blackout cannot be substantiated. While a high proportion of renewable electricity in the grid is one of the major challenges of the energy transition, it is not an unsolvable problem. With the systems installed today, technical solutions are available to address these challenges, and experts are constantly learning and adapting to implement them.
The Way Forward
The European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) has already submitted a proposal for implementing new solutions at EU level. The outgoing German government outlined a possible way forward in its roadmap. It is essential to recognize that the restructuring of the energy system poses major challenges, but with careful planning and implementation, these challenges can be overcome.
Separating Fact from Fiction
It is crucial to separate fact from fiction when discussing complex issues like the Iberian blackout. By understanding the technical aspects of grid operations and the role of solar power, we can work towards a more sustainable energy future.
Sustainable energy is derived from renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power.
These energy sources produce minimal greenhouse gas emissions, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 70% of the world's energy potential comes from solar and wind power alone.
Investing in sustainable energy can create jobs, stimulate local economies, and improve air quality.
