Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast The Spanish Grid Goes Down: Are renewables really to blame?
21 snips
May 15, 2025 
Kingsmill Bond, an energy strategist at Ember, and José Manuel Entrecanales, CEO of Acciona, dive into the significant blackout that recently swept across Spain and Portugal. They explore whether renewable energy is to blame or if deeper issues lie within outdated infrastructures. The conversation addresses misconceptions about renewables' reliability and highlights the urgent need for grid modernization. They also discuss how modernized grids are crucial for a successful energy transition and the encouraging prospects for renewable energy's future.
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Grid Vulnerability, Not Renewables
- The blackout was triggered by the unexpected disconnection of over 2,000 megawatts of solar generation.
- The main cause is unknown, highlighting the grid's vulnerability and complexity, not failures of renewables themselves.
Renewables Predominant Yet Stable
- Spain generates about 64% of its electricity from renewables even at blackout time.
- The incident likely resulted from grid transport issues, not renewable generation itself.
Historical Grid Failures Aren't Renewables' Fault
- Blaming renewables for blackout is premature and inaccurate.
- Grids have historically faced outages for many complex reasons unrelated to renewable energy.