Summary
Last spring, a large power outage affected millions in Spain, Portugal, and parts of France. Initial blame was placed on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, but a new expert report found that a voltage surge caused the blackout. Despite the findings, misinformation about renewables being at fault has influenced public opinion.
Key Facts
- A major blackout occurred in Spain, Portugal, and part of France, lasting over ten hours in some areas.
- The blackout affected tens of millions of people, causing train stoppages and trapping individuals in elevators.
- Media and political figures initially blamed renewable energy sources, like solar and wind, for the outage.
- Spain gets about 46% of its power from renewable sources, and sometimes this number exceeds 70%.
- An expert European grid operators' report found that a voltage surge, not renewable energy, caused the blackout.
- Misleading information linking the outage to renewables has influenced public perception in Spain.
- Renewable energy is generally reliable when combined with technology like large batteries.
- The misinformation impacts global efforts to promote clean energy as an alternative to fossil fuels.
