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The general blackout that hit Spain, Portugal and parts of southern France on 28 April has highlighted the critical points of the European energy system, opening a debate on the resilience of the continental grid and the role of renewable energy in this dynamic. Although the reason for the problem has not yet been ascertained, much has been said about the vulnerability of a power grid that is not able to guarantee sufficient backup and that therefore exposes the economic system of a single nation or potentially the entire European Union to a drop in electricity of this magnitude, with potentially disastrous consequences. We have to recall that the disruption in Spain affected all major generation sources, as nuclear and coal plants completely shut down while wind and solar production dropped significantly. The protection mechanisms were activated to prevent damages to the grid and even more serious problems. However, the renewable generation had a quick rebound once conditions stabilised a few hours later.

For the European Union, it is of foremost importance to assess what exactly happened before, during and after the power outage in the Iberian Peninsula, as to prevent eventual future problems related to the same issue.

Starting from the causes of the blackout, initial data from the Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica de España pointed to unusual low-frequency oscillations between the Iberian Peninsula and the main European grid just before the outage. At the time when the accident occurred, renewables were providing most of Spain’s electricity. In the last decades, the governments in Madrid and also in the Autonomous Communities decided to invest a huge amount of financial resources, with the aim of developing a strong energy system and also promoting the growth of local firms in the sectors, some of which now play a relevant role on the global stage, such as Iberdrola and Endesa. As the statistics show, on average wind provides 25% of Spain’s electricity, while solar provides another 21%. For such reasons, some observers have suggested that low system inertia may have contributed to the outage, but so far, there is no evidence linking low inertia to the blackout. We should also take into account that Spain had recently operated on 100% renewables without problems, and at the same time, many countries, like Denmark and Germany, successfully operate electricity systems with high levels of variable renewable energy. The key reasons why such nations can achieve this target are due to the use of advanced grid management, energy storage, and strong regional connections to maintain stability.

In order to reduce risks of instability in the electricity system, nowadays grid operators are using battery storage, synchronous condensers, and other tools, but maybe the best solution at the moment is simply a balanced energy mix, combining wind and solar power with high capabilities in energy storage. On the other hand, as stated by the EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, three key areas are crucial to reinforce the European energy infrastructure. First of all, integration: “enabling all Europeans and each European country to benefit from our Energy Union and an integrated energy market.” A second focus “will be interconnection”, which can help enhance system resilience, “as Member States can import from their neighbours when needed or provide backup supplies to help and prevent blackouts.” Finally, according to Jørgensen, there is a need for investments “in storage and flexibility, in electrification and in digitalisation”.

Written by: Francesco Marino