

No, solar didn’t collapse Spain's grid
Spain's Grid Collapse Was Not Solar's Fault Here’s What Really Happened
The April blackout affecting 47 million people in Spain and Portugal was initially blamed on too much solar power, but the official report from Spain's grid operator reveals a more complex story. The disturbance started with a solar plant sending frequency oscillations, which should have been manageable, but the real problem was that conventional power plants failed to provide necessary voltage control and instead exacerbated the problem.
Key issues included a lack of sufficient battery storage to balance high solar capacity, weak grid interconnections with neighboring areas, and poor system management by grid operators. Laurent Segalen and Gerard Reid highlight that Spain's grid became fragile due to rapid solar deployment without adequate batteries or interconnection, and stress the need for better management and technological upgrades like grid-forming inverters and battery integration.
Jigar Shah summarizes it well: "When the conductor fails to do their job, it's not the fault of any one section of the orchestra." This points to the central responsibility of grid operators in coordinating different energy sources rather than blaming renewables alone.
Solar Alone Didn’t Collapse Grid
- The blackout began with frequency oscillations from a solar plant but escalated due to failures in conventional generators and poor grid management.
- Lack of battery storage and weak interconnections made Spain's grid fragile despite massive solar capacity.
Modernize Grid Management
- Treat solar and battery systems as critical infrastructure with required services and real-time data access.
- Upgrade to grid-forming inverters and improve regulatory frameworks for modern grid management.