Renewable energy's reliability back under scrutiny following Spain's power outage
Power Outage Sparks Debate Over Spain's Energy Transition
The unexpected power outage that swept across the Iberian peninsula on April 28 has sparked a lively debate about Spain's plans to transition away from nuclear energy in favor of renewable sources.
As people remain in the dark about the root cause of the historic blackout, which threw tens of millions of lives into chaos, some question the wisdom of phasing out nuclear power for renewable energy, which can be unpredictable.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has dismissed these critics, urging patience while his government investigates the cause of the power grid's disconnection. He maintains that his government will not waver from its energy transition plans.
Let's delve into the details of this charged argument:
What is nuclear power and why is it controversial?
Nuclear power is a zero-carbon energy source generated by nuclear fission, the splitting of atomic nuclei, releasing energy. It contributes to approximately 10% of global electricity generation, according to the International Energy Association.
Countries regard nuclear power as essential for hitting their net-zero targets. Although nuclear reactors don't emit carbon dioxide like gas or coal-fired power plants, they create radioactive waste that even advanced economies struggle to dispose.
Why does Spain plan to decommission its nuclear reactors?
By 2024, Spain generated nearly 57% of its electricity from renewable sources, such as wind, hydropower, and solar, with about 20% coming from nuclear power plants.
In 2019, Sánchez's government approved a plan to decommission the country's remaining nuclear reactors between 2027 and 2035, with the aim of further expanding renewable energy production. Spain aspires to generate 81% of its electricity by 2030 from renewable sources.
Sánchez stated that the nuclear facilities active on the day of the blackout did not contribute to re-powering the grid.
Renewable energy storage solutions like batteries help regulate changes in electricity supply from wind and solar.
Why is Spain's renewables push under scrutiny now?
Though the cause of the sudden electrical collapse on April 28 remains undetermined, the event has raised doubts about the technical challenges confronting power grids running on high levels of solar and wind.
Solar and wind powered around 70% of the grid right before Spain lost 15 gigawatts of electricity—approximately 60% of its supply—in just five seconds.
Traditional power grids were designed for a different era, according to Gilles Thonet, deputy secretary general of the International Electrotechnical Commission.
"Power used to flow in one direction from large coal, gas or nuclear plants to homes and businesses. These plants also provided stability, their spinning turbines acting like shock absorbers, smoothing out fluctuations in supply and demand," Thonet said.
Following the blackout, Spanish internet searches for "nuclear" saw a marked increase, according to Google Trends.
Spain's nuclear lobby group Foro Nuclear argued this week that the government should reconsider its plan to decommission its nuclear reactors after the outage. Ignacio Araluce, its president, claimed that the nuclear plants online before the outage "provide firmness and stability."
Some argue that more nuclear power would have prevented a blackout.
"We don't know the cause of the oscillations," said Pedro Fresco, director general of Avaesen, an association of renewable energy and clean technology firms in Valencia. "Therefore, we don't know what would have allowed them to be controlled."
Spain's grid operator recently pinpointed two separate incidents at southwestern Spain substations as the likely culprits for the outage.
Environment Minister Sara Aagesen stated earlier this week that the grid initially withstood another power generation outage in southern Spain 19 seconds before the blackout.
Sánchez, in a speech to Parliament, said there was "no empirical evidence" to show that more nuclear power on the grid could have prevented a blackout or allowed the country to recover faster. Factually, the four nuclear facilities active on April 28 before the blackout were taken offline after the outage as part of emergency protocol to prevent overheating.
Instead of nuclear energy, gas and hydropower, as well as electrical transfers from Morocco and France, were employed to bring the country's grid back online.
- The Spanish government is investigating the root cause of the power outage that disconnected the Iberian peninsula's power grid, with some critics questioning the wisdom of transitioning away from nuclear power towards renewable energy.
- Nuclear power, generated by nuclear fission, contributes to approximately 10% of global electricity generation and is a zero-carbon energy source.
- Countries view nuclear power as essential for hitting their net-zero targets, despite the challenges of managing radioactive waste.
- Spain's plan is to decommission its remaining nuclear reactors between 2027 and 2035, aiming to further expand renewable energy production and generate 81% of its electricity by 2030 from renewable sources.
- Nuclear facilities did not contribute to re-powering the grid on the day of the power outage, according to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
- Renewable energy storage solutions like batteries help regulate changes in electricity supply from wind and solar, but traditional power grids struggle to handle high levels of solar and wind power.
- Following the power outage, there has been a marked increase in Spanish internet searches for "nuclear" and Spain's nuclear lobby group Foro Nuclear has argued that the government should reconsider its plan to decommission its nuclear reactors.
- The Spanish government is employing gas, hydropower, and electrical transfers from Morocco and France to bring the country's grid back online instead of using more nuclear power after the power outage.
