Electricity apocalypse: Iberian peninsula in the dark - what really happened?

Electricity apocalypse: Iberian peninsula in the dark - what really happened?

On April 1st, there was a serious power failure on the Iberian Peninsula, which dived in the dark and Portugal in the dark. The investigation report has now been presented, which illuminates the cause of this massive disorder. According to the report, which was presented by the Spanish Vice Government and Environment Minister Sara Aageesen, the triggering of the blackout was too high in the power grid. This overvoltage brought with it a chain reaction of protective shutdowns, which ultimately led to the far -reaching power outages. Interestingly, no evidence of a cyber attack was found, which made it easier.

The high voltage resulted from a combination of several factors. A crucial point was the insufficient planning of electricity production by the network operator Red Eléctrica. In addition, there was a lack of classic power plants that could cushion overvoltages more effectively. The behavior of operators of conventional power plants, including combined mitty works, nuclear power plants and hydropower plants, is particularly questionable. Instead of stabilizing the network, these systems have illegally decoupled from the power grid because they do not take sufficient overvoltage from the network.

Problems of network stability

The report makes unclear responsibilities as well as a lack of coordination and lack of transparency in the system. Experts demand additional investments to ensure network stability with a high proportion of renewable energies. With the increasing spread of photovoltaics, wind and hydropower- growth of 50% in the sector of renewable energies between 2019 and 2024- the need for innovative solutions to stabilize the power grid is becoming increasingly urgent. Reasons for this persistent boom are sunken costs and global decarbonization policies.

But the use of renewable energies also brings challenges. In particular, frequency and voltage anomalies caused by the stochastic nature of energy generation can lead to instabilities. The overload of existing transmission lines for lace loads and the imbalance between supply and demand are also worrying points. In order to meet these challenges, some solutions are conceivable: the use of energy storage technologies (such as lithium-ion batteries), smart grids as well as the installation of blind performance compensation systems and high-voltage equal current transmission lines.

an outlook in the future

For the Iberian Peninsula, the incident is not only an apprenticeship, but also an opportunity to stand up more future -proof. Developments in the field of renewable energies are undoubtedly positive, but it is important to adapt the infrastructure accordingly. This is the only way to prevent another blackout and the energy transition is designed sustainably.

For more detailed information on the incident and the background, the reports of Heise and mirror