Renewables without responsibility in blackout
The director-general of the International Solar Alliance (Isa) on Tuesday removed the possibility of April 28 blackout in Spain and Portugal was caused by problems with renewable energy.
« I do not believe that the blackouts in Spain and Portugal have been mainly caused mainly by renewable energy programs, » said Ashish Khanna, who has been driving to Isa since March.
The director general of this alliance of 123 countries, led by France and India, stressed that, although the investigation is underway, prestige publications show that the blackout is due to more technical factors, « especially related to the transmission and flow of energy. »
The European network of electricity transport network managers announced the creation of a committee to investigate the causes of this blackout, which has classified as “exceptional and severe” and which left Portugal and Spain in the dark.
This panel of experts will have to draft a factual report that will constitute the basis of the final report until the maximum period of October 28 this year. The final report on the investigation of the incident should be published as late as September 30, 2026.
To EFE agency, Khanna argued that energy storage and the development of adequate transmission infrastructure are vital to avoid blackouts related to the absence periods of solar power generation.
India « implemented a much larger proportion (Europe) of renewable solar energy, with almost 100 gigawatts already installed. China is multiplying this number, and there are no blackouts caused by solar energy, » he stressed. « It’s just an example that it is not the main problem, » he added.
On Monday, REN-National Energy Networks decided to increase the limit of Spain electricity imports in sunny hours and remove the restrictions in force for the rest, following the April blackout.
These measures implemented by the electrical chain manager are part of the ongoing stabilization process of the Iberian Electricity Market (Mibel), after widespread cut in the electric supply on April 28 that left Portugal and Spain practically without electricity, as well as part of the territory of France.
Closed airports, traffic congestion and traffic in large cities and lack of fuels were some of the consequences of blackout.
