Renewables may face stricter requirements due to Spanish blackout

Analysts told Montel that renewable energy sources are likely to face stricter requirements in Spain to ensure the stability of the power system in the future. The aim is to prevent outages similar to the one at the end of April.

Spain is likely to require developers of 2 renewable energy sources to include new computational processes in their projects and install equipment providing “synthetic inertia”, said Ana Barillas, director for the Iberian Peninsula at Aurora Energy Research.

Analysts have previously cited insufficient system inertia as one of the factors that contributed to the April blackout in Spain. However, installing additional equipment would reduce the profitability of solar and wind power plants, Barillas said, adding that this would be negative for renewables.

Battery systems could benefit from this, she said. Meanwhile, policymakers could develop mechanisms to fund new services that ensure grid stability.

The incident on 28 April, which left the region without electricity for several hours, sparked debate about the country’s excessive reliance on renewable energy sources. Spain aims to increase its installed renewable capacity from the current 89 GW to 160 GW by 2030. The incident could slow Spain’s energy transition as a result of possible public opposition.

“This really puts the brakes on things, because people don’t trust renewable energy. And renewables are the future. This is the worst thing that could have happened,” said Jorge Sanz, deputy director of consultancy Nera in Spain.

The key now will be to investigate the causes of the incident and try to prevent them from happening again. The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) set up an expert panel in early May to investigate the incident.

What is inertia and how does it affect operational security?

Inertia is the ability of a power system to resist changes in frequency thanks to rotating masses connected to the system, which maintain a steady rotational motion and angular momentum. Conventional power plants, such as coal, gas and nuclear plants, have these rotating masses. Inertia from rotating masses is needed in the power system to maintain a balance between electricity generation and consumption in the event of sudden events, such as failures at power plants or in transmission system components.

When inertia is low, a failure at a large generating unit or on direct-current transmission interconnectors can cause a larger-than-usual instantaneous frequency deviation. If the frequency deviation, or power imbalance, were too large, the operational security of the power system could be threatened.