Solar Power’s Overreliance Likely Culprit In Spain And Portugal Blackouts
The large amount of solar power on the Spanish and Portuguese grids may have left the Iberian power grid more vulnerable to faults or cyberattacks, according to one expert. [emphasis, links added]
This is because of the need for “inertia” on the electricity system, which is a byproduct of generators that have spinning parts—such as those running on gas, coal, or hydropower.
These have turbines that can speed up or slow down to help adjust the power frequency, which must be kept within certain limits.
Inertia also helps to protect the system from faults that cause sudden frequency drops, giving grid operators time to switch on alternative generators.
Solar panels do not generate inertia on the system, however, and there are known issues with low inertia on the Iberian grid.
At about 10 am this morning, roughly two hours before the power cuts, almost 60 percent of Spain’s power was being generated by solar farms, according to transparency data.
At lunchtime, power demand tends to drop, meaning there is less demand for gas on the system in Spain, said Kathryn Porter, an independent energy analyst.
Ms Porter said: “If you have a grid fault, it can cause a frequency imbalance, and in a low-inertia environment, the frequency can change much faster.
“If you have had a significant grid fault in one area, or a cyberattack, or whatever it may be, the grid operators therefore have less time to react. That can lead to cascading failures if you cannot get it under control quickly enough.
“The growing reliance on solar has pushed inertia on the grid to the point where it [becomes] more difficult to respond to disruptions such as significant transmission faults.”
…snip…
The European Union chief said that “at this point, there are no indications of any cyberattack” after a massive blackout hit Spain and Portugal.
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VOWG
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What you get when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow and fail to provide adequate back up generating capacity. It is the result of ignorance and stupidity.
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Len Winokur
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“More vulnerable to faults and cyberattacks”. And to the ‘bright’ idea of dimming the sun.
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MattH
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This comment by Chris on Electroverse.
Chris
April 29, 2025 at 12:47 pm
When a solar panel is added to the grid it’s waveform is generated electronically then synchronised using a process called phase locked loop. This keeps the output at the correct frequency to prevent distortion of the waveform.
Where there is a massive baseload generator the frequency is assured and maintained, the PLL will sync with it’s output and the system will be stable. Where there is no baseload generator there is nothing to physically maintain the waveform and frequency. A process called SubSynchronous Interaction takes over and introduces damaging harmonics. This can cause physical damage, and heating in transformers and cables.
This was inevitable, and will happen again.
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Joe
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The blackout was caused by Khazarian Jews for not selling Israel weapons!
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Aaron
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ok, now what joe?
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