Following the unprecedented blackout that plunged much of Spain and Portugal into darkness on April 28, 2025, the solar industry has responded to speculation regarding the role of renewable energy in the incident.
The outage, which disrupted transportation, hospitals, and communication networks, resulted in a sudden loss of approximately 15 gigawatts – about 60% of Spain’s electricity demand – within seconds.
While the exact cause remains under investigation, initial analyses by Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica (REE), have ruled out cyberattacks and extreme weather, pointing instead to cascading disconnections in the grid, possibly originating in the solar-rich southwest.
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In response to concerns about renewables’ involvement, UNEF, SolarPower Europe, and the Global Solar Council issued a joint statement emphasising the reliability of photovoltaic technology:
“Photovoltaic technology is a mature technology that is fully capable of providing everything the grid needs for stability. It meets all the technical requirements established by the system operator (REE) and by regulation (the grid connection code and operational procedures).
“There are 100% photovoltaic systems with batteries that are perfectly stable. For example, yesterday, self-consumption photovoltaic systems with properly reconfigured batteries (in “island mode,” disconnected from the grid) operated without any problems.”
They further clarified that solar energy contributions were scheduled in advance and adhered to operational protocols:
“The energy injected into the grid was scheduled the day before, and yesterday that schedule was being strictly followed.”
In a statement on LinkedIn, the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA), highlighted the resilience of renewable energy sources during the crisis:
“Immediately after this power outage, renewable sources – solar, wind and hydropower – together with cross-border support from France, continued providing power for essential services.”
Experts across the broader energy industry have noted that while high levels of renewable energy can present challenges for grid stability, they were not the root cause of the blackout.
Pratheeksha Ramdas, a senior analyst at Rystad Energy, stated:
“We cannot say that high wind and solar power caused the blackout – in the days before we saw far greater amounts of renewables on the system. But greater amounts of renewables may have made it more difficult to absorb a frequency disturbance.”
The incident underscores the need for enhanced grid infrastructure and flexibility to accommodate the growing share of renewable energy.
The solar industry advocates for investments in energy storage, cross-border interconnections, and advanced grid management to bolster system resilience.
As investigations continue, the consensus among energy experts and industry leaders is clear: renewable energy, when properly integrated, is not the problem but a vital part of the solution for a stable and sustainable power grid.
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