Critical blackout in Spain: Experts believe in stable power grids!

Critical blackout in Spain: Experts believe in stable power grids!

this day, April 28, 2025, there was a large blackout in Spain at 12:30 p.m., which also affected parts of Portugal and France. Screens and refrigerators switched off, S-Bahn remained, and both the Internet and telephone lines failed.

In response to this Situation, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called in a crisis meeting of the government in Madrid. While the exact causes of the incident are still unclear, Dirk Witthaut from the Jülich research center said that the European power grid is normally considered stable. He pointed out that Spain is poorly connected to this network, which makes it difficult to analyze the causes. Similar large -scale power failures in Europe occurred in the past, for example 2003 and 2006, which were caused by domino effects.

examinations and assumptions

Cyber ​​attacks have now been made. So far, however, there are no specific indications. The National Institute for Cyber ​​Security (Incibe) in Spain and the Portuguese cyber security authorities are currently investigating. Witthaut excluded electricity shortage as the cause factor, since the generation of electricity by photovoltaics was high during this time.

The consequences of the blackout were particularly evident in the traffic sector and in the communication networks, where there were considerable disorders. These events highlight a highlight of the security of supply and the stability of the electrical power grids, which pose a challenge for fluctuating renewable energies.

stability of the power grids and challenges

The discussion about the balance between production and consumption is reinforced by the increasing range of renewable energies such as wind and solar energy. In this context, the importance of central power plants with synchronous generators, which stabilize the network frequency and convert mechanical into electrical energy. In contrast, decentralized generation plants such as photovoltaic systems bring bigger challenges.

In order to ensure system stability even with a higher proportion of decentralized feed -in, innovative measures in network planning are therefore required. This includes the development of new tools and technologies to improve the stability of the power grids. Pilot projects in Germany are testing new network-forming regulations, whereby direct current routes between northern and southern Germany are equipped with additional compensation systems.

The extensive roadmap for system stability created under the direction of the BMWK shows solutions and describes the necessary measures by 2030. This includes, among other things, the market -based procurement of blind power and the development of technical network connection rules.

The complexity of dynamic stability increasingly becomes a limiting factor in energy supply. Challenges due to changing dynamic properties of electricity networks must be taken into account in failure analyzes, which brings with an increasing need for programming knowledge for network engineers. Digitization plays a central role in order to be able to successfully meet the energy transition.

abc.de reports that the examination of the blackout in Spain illustrates the urgency of these topics and underlines the need for innovative solutions. Even if the incident can be considered isolated for the time being, the upcoming challenges offer valuable knowledge for the future further development of the European power grid.

For further information on the technical aspects of the stability of the power grids, reference is made to the expertise of renewable energies, which provides detailed knowledge.