Iberian Blackout: Was It Renewables' Fault?

A massive blackout hit Spain and Portugal in April 2024, affecting nearly 60 million people. While official investigations are ongoing, academics suggest several potential causes, including power plants sending excessively high voltage (overvoltages) to the transmission grid, and uneven reactive power distribution due to the distributed generation model of renewable energy (solar and wind). Traditional power plants provide inertia, stabilizing grid frequency, a characteristic lacking in renewables. The overvoltage issue highlights reactive power management, requiring adjustments to grid management rules to incentivize renewable energy plants to participate in reactive power balancing. Spain and Portugal's low interconnection capacity with neighboring countries also contributed to the blackout's widespread impact and duration. Future improvements in grid management rules, increased interconnection capacity, added energy storage, and AI-assisted grid operation are vital to prevent similar events.