Original title: Reliance on ‘renewables’ makes widespread blackout nightmare more likely
Main Points
- Massive Blackout in Europe: On April 28, 2025, a widespread blackout affected 55 million people in Spain, Portugal, and parts of France, disrupting hospitals, transit, and critical infrastructure for hours.
- Renewables’ Role: At the time of the blackout, renewable sources, primarily solar, accounted for 78% of electricity in the Iberian Peninsula, with two solar installation failures triggering the grid collapse.
- Grid Vulnerability: High reliance on renewables, which lack the stability of conventional power plants like gas and nuclear, increases the risk of large-scale blackouts, as highlighted by energy scholar Raúl Bajo Buenestado.
- Policy Concerns: Spain’s push for 74% renewable energy by 2030, mirroring past U.S. goals under Biden, is criticized as impractical due to the unreliability and higher costs of renewables compared to natural gas.
- Natural Gas Reliance: Despite anti-fossil fuel policies, natural gas, primarily from the U.S., was crucial in restoring power, revealing a contradiction in Europe’s energy transition plans.
