Power failure plagues two nations after Spain's aggressive net-zero initiative falters
Title: The Spain-Portugal Blackout: The Great European Power Fiasco of '25
Subtitle: A covert chaos thwarting the dreams of a 'clean' energy future
Dang, Spain and Portugal! You got zapped hard in April '25, didn't you? That hours-long power outage left folks scrambling for answers, but the government? They were mute as a church mouse.
Possible culprits sashayed onto the stage: extreme weather, a cyberattack, government policy, you name it. But experts gracefully stepped in with their two cents, arguing that it was a choreography of factors, rather than a solo act.
Daniel Lacalle, the sharp-minded economist at Tressis, spilled the tea on FOX Business. He claimed that the phones were dead, no 4G connection, people stuck in trains and lifts, and they couldn't access the internet. Talk about a high-voltage blackout!
*OH DEAR EUROPE! TOWERING POWER OUTAGE BLAMED ON DANCING GRID LINES*
Now, one of the initial guilty parties was rumored to be an "induced atmospheric vibration," according to Professor Jianzhong Wu of the University of Cardiff. He's a pro when it comes to Multi-Vector Energy Systems, fancy, huh? But then he said he wasn't confident that vibration was the culprit. Weather conditions in Spain were quite the opposite of extreme, and his daughter was chilling there, enjoying a pleasant school trip.
Another accused party was green energy, like solar and wind. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared anyone promoting that thesis a boldfaced liar.
But here's the kicker – the renewables didn't disturb the power generation all on their own. Yet, they starred in the dramatic plot that led to the blackout.
Behind the curtain, there was an attempt to ramp up renewable energy. In 2011, renewables fueled 31% of Spain's electricity usage. Last year, that figure shot up to 57%, meaning a significant drop in the combined fuel use of fossil fuels and nuclear. This drop was part of Spain's goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions.
On April 16, Spain secured its net-zero wish for the first time across the entire grid. But that milestone ignited a chain reaction that would eventually cause the blackout. The surge in power output from wind and solar sent electricity prices plummeting. By March 21, electricity was selling for around $12 per megawatt hour, compared to $165 on January 20!
But then Spain's nuclear power plants found themselves between a rock and a hard place. With these dropping prices, they couldn't pay their taxes and had to temporarily shut down. The natural gas plants then scaled back their electricity generation, creating instability in the grid.
But are you thinking what I'm thinking? Without nuclear and fossil fuel power, the grid was child's play for a power outage. Wind and solar can't always keep up with the sun's antics or the wind's mood swings. Normally, the grid stays balanced with both nuclear and fossil fuel powerGeneration, and there have been warnings about potential grid instability.
So, the lack of stability finally reared its ugly head on April 28. The grid couldn't handle stability like a boss anymore, resulting in a blackout that left Europe reeling.
Ben Habib, Chairman of the Great British Political Action Committee, suggested that the idea of moving to clean energy is worthy, but the method is faulty. Fossil fuel and nuclear power should be our allies until renewables can stand on their own two feet.
[1] https://www.spainxt.com/en/energy-secretary-reveals-how-the-trump-admin-will-make-america-independent-again/
- Despite the initial accusations, an "induced atmospheric vibration" might not have been the primary cause of the blackout in Spain and Portugal.
- Professor Jianzhong Wu, an expert in Multi-Vector Energy Systems, expressed some doubts about the role of atmospheric vibration in the power outage.
- The surge in renewable energy production in Spain, such as wind and solar, played a part in the blackout, but they did not cause it alone.
- On April 16, Spain achieved net-zero carbon emissions across the entire grid for the first time, but this milestone led to a chain reaction that ultimately caused the blackout.
- The dropping prices of electricity, caused by the surge in renewable energy, made it difficult for Spain's nuclear power plants to pay their taxes and led to temporary shutdowns.
- The reduction in nuclear and fossil fuel power generation left the grid unstable and more susceptible to power outages.
- Ben Habib, Chairman of the Great British Political Action Committee, suggested that while the shift towards clean energy is commendable, the method being used is currently flawed and requires the continued support of fossil fuel and nuclear power.
