Introduction to the Power Failure
The network operators needed more than a day to fully restore the power supply in Spain and Portugal. One of the circulating theories is that excessive solar power caused the power failure. As soon as the lights went out in Spain and Portugal, speculation about the cause of the blackout began. Was it a cyber attack? Atmospheric disorder?
Extreme Frequency Fluctuation
According to Prieto, two apparently separate incidents that took place within 1.5 seconds in the southwest of Spain have brought the grid frequency out of balance. He said that this caused the failure of power plants with a capacity of 15 gigawatts (GW) – almost half of the capacity of the active power plant at this time. Very large and sudden deviations can lead to a cascading failure, with extreme frequency fluctuations trigger elements and mechanisms in other power plants (and large consumers), which then automatically remove these plants from the network.
Claim and Fact Check
The cause of the power failure was not finally clarified. It is true that solar energy provided around 60% (19.3 GW) of the power available in the Spanish network at the time of the power failure. In addition, it seems that solar power plants dominated the generation of electricity in southwestern Spain. The user moved into post on X, which collected almost 100,000 views. The "secondary cause" was the loss of this transmission line and as a result "all" the PV systems then "abruptly" separated from the network.
Have all PV Systems Suddenly Switched Off?
However, PV systems must not be abolished abruptly. Because since 2016, standardized regulations for electricity generators in the EU have come into force. These regulations stipulate that PV systems gradually have to reduce their feed-in if the grid frequency exceeds the limit of 50.2 Hertz (Hz) due to a performance surplus. "In Spain at the end of the 2000s, the corresponding guidelines for the network connection were introduced to ensure that PV systems are not simply separated from the network in the event of a sudden grating,"
Is High PV Performance a Problem for Electricity Grids?
It is documented that Spain’s power grid connections to France and Portugal were limited during blackouts. However, it is still unclear whether this was the cause of the power failure in Spain or one of the domino effects. What is certain is that Spain exported a total of 3 GW shortly before the network separated. As a result of the interruption of the power lines, this is surplus was suddenly available in Spain. Such an incident would undoubtedly be a major burden for every power grid.
Technical Solutions are Available
The Fraunhofer researcher Rogalla confirmed that this could have contributed to the power failure, but he had a different perspective: "The power failure in Spain was not a PV failure, but probably a system failure," he said, adding that "in this regard, the restructuring of the energy system is great challenges". With the systems installed today, it is not possible to operate a power grid with solar and wind power alone, he said. He also rejected the claim that a high proportion of renewable energies was an insoluble problem. "We learn all the time. The technical solutions are now available, now we have to implement them."
Conclusion
The theory that "an oversupply of solar (power)" was the reason for the blackout cannot be justified. Although a high proportion of renewable electricity on the network is one of the biggest challenges of energy transition, it is not an unsolvable problem.
