Green Revolution Cripples Spain’s Power Grid

_WHAT’S HAPPENING_

Spain and Portugal experienced widespread power outages on Monday, plunging tens of millions into darkness after the power grid suddenly failed. The unprecedented outage paralyzed transportation systems, shut down digital payment networks, and knocked out communications across the Iberian Peninsula.

Just six days earlier, Spain celebrated operating entirely on renewable energy during a weekday for the first time. But their over-reliance on volatile renewables was likely a key factor in making their power grid vulnerable to complete collapse.

_THE FACTS_

• At the time of the blackout, around 80 percent of Spain’s power grid was comprised of solar and wind energy.

• Portuguese grid operator Rede Eléctrica Nacional claimed the blackout was due to a “rare atmospheric phenomenon,” causing the Spanish grid’s electrical systems to fail.

• Fossil fuel energy systems can continue to function after shocks, while solar and wind energy sources lack this resilience.

• Spain has aggressively expanded its renewable energy capacity, with solar installations doubling between 2023 and 2025.

• The country has shut down more than half of its coal-fired power plants since 2020 and plans to phase out nuclear power by 2035.

• The blackout affected critical infrastructure, including hospitals — which switched to emergency generators — while thousands were trapped in elevators and subway tunnels.

• Over 500 flights were disrupted at Spanish and Portuguese airports, with air traffic control systems operating on backup power.

• Spain's renewable energy plan aims to generate 80 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

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