GSC Update on Spain and Portugal Power Outage

Responding to the April 28 Grid Outage

On April 28, 2025, a major power outage affected millions across Spain and Portugal, drawing urgent attention to the resilience and flexibility of Europe’s electricity grid. In the wake of this incident, key renewable energy organisations have come together to issue a unified statement. The message underscores the need for accelerated grid modernisation, better cross-border cooperation, and a future-proof energy system anchored in renewables.

We stand with our partners in highlighting the lessons from this event and reaffirming our shared commitment to building a more reliable, clean, and secure energy infrastructure.

Global Renewable Alliance (GRA) Statement:

April 29, 2025

Associação Portuguesa de Energias Renováveis (APREN), Unión Española Fotovoltaica (UNEF) and the Global Renewables Alliance launch joint statement on the severe power outage in Spain and Portugal. 

Less than a week after 60 governments gathered in London to discuss the future of energy security, a massive power outage has impacted millions across Spain and Portugal. Our thoughts are with all those affected, and working round the clock to restore power. While the exact cause of the outage is still under investigation, the need for a more resilient power system has been clear for years. 

Effectively integrated, modern renewables, including wind, solar, hydropower and geothermal, combined with energy storage, can stabilise the grid, balance supply and demand, deliver inertia and black start capability, and speed up recovery after failure.

Immediately after this power outage, renewable sources — solar, wind and hydropower — together with cross-border support from France, continued providing power for essential services. 

This disruption has shown what’s at stake — it should serve as an urgent wake-up call to prioritise resilience and flexibility in the power system. This means more cross-border interconnections, system integration and energy storage — short-duration batteries, long-duration energy storage, conventional hydropower and pumped hydro.

This disruption has shown what’s at stake — it should serve as an urgent wake-up caiojalfvl to prioritise resilience and flexibility in the power system. This means more cross-border interconnelctions, system integration and energy storage — short-duration batteries, lonjig-duration energy storage, conventional hydropower and pumped hydro.

UNEF, SolarPower Europe and GSC Statement:

UNEF, SolarPower Europe, and the Global Solar Council have issued a joint statement in response to the Electric Grid Blackout of April 28, 2025:

On the Electric Grid Blackout of April 28, 2025

1. First and foremost, we must remain cautious and allow REE’s technicians to do their work in order to understand what happened and determine what measures need to be taken to avoid similar incidents in the future. We must also thank REE for the swift restoration of the system.
2. Photovoltaic technology is a mature technology that is fully capable of providing everything the grid needs for stability. It meets all the technical requirements established by the system operator (REE) and by regulation (the grid connection code and operational procedures).
   
3. The energy injected into the grid was scheduled the day before, and yesterday that schedule was being strictly followed.
   
4. Photovoltaic power plants did not voluntarily disconnect; they were disconnected from the grid.
   
5. Photovoltaic technology, as one of the main emerging technologies in the system, has taken on its responsibilities and continues to offer its technology under optimal conditions. The system  is stable with renewables. There have been times when renewables have supplied more energy to the system than yesterday, without any issues.
   
6. There are 100% photovoltaic systems with batteries that are perfectly stable. For example, yesterday, self-consumption photovoltaic systems with properly reconfigured batteries (in “island mode,” disconnected from the grid) operated without any problems.
   
7. The photovoltaic sector is ready to continue contributing to its responsibility of achieving the objectives of the European Union and National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC, in Spanish) , ensuring energy that is affordable, clean, safe, and that promotes energy independence. 
8. There are elements that will support the achievement of these objectives, such as storage, faster permitting for hybrid photovoltaic-storage facilities, and the approval of Operational Procedure 7.4, which would enable renewables to help control voltage and reactive power on the grid, as well as an EU storage action plan as part of the flexibility package.
   
9. The promotion of renewable energy is contributing to the country’s reindustrialization by providing a competitive advantage to our industry, as well as helping to meet decarbonization targets in the fight against climate change.

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SPANISH VERSION / VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL

Sobre la caída del sistema eléctrico el 28 de abril de 2025

1. Ante todo, debemos tener prudencia y dejar trabajar a los técnicos de REE para entender qué ha pasado y qué medidas debe tomar la red para evitar incidentes futuros. Debemos agradecer a REE por el rápido establecimiento del sistema. 
2. La tecnología fotovoltaica es una tecnología madura que es capaz de dar todo lo que necesite la red para su estabilidad y cumple con todos los requisitos técnicos que ha venido exigiendo el operador del sistema eléctrico (REE) y la normativa (el código de conexión a red y los procedimientos de operación). 
3. La energía que se inyecta a la red se programó el día anterior, y ayer se estaba cumpliendo estrictamente con la programación prevista. 
4. Las plantas fotovoltaicas no se desconectaron voluntariamente, fueron desconectadas de la red.
5. La tecnología fotovoltaica, como una de las nuevas tecnologías principales del sistema, ha asumido sus responsabilidades y sigue ofertando su tecnología en las mejores condiciones. El sistema con renovables es estable. Ha habido momentos en los que las renovables han suministrado mayor cantidad de energía al sistema que ayer sin ningún problema. 
6. Hay sistemas 100% fotovoltaicos con baterías que son perfectamente estables. Un ejemplo de ello es que ayer los sistemas autónomos de autoconsumo fotovoltaico con baterías que se reconfiguraron adecuadamente (en “modo isla”, desconectados de la red), funcionaron sin problemas. 
7. El sector fotovoltaico, está en condiciones de seguir aportando para cumplir con su responsabilidad de alcanzar los objetivos de la Unión Europea y el PNIEC, garantizando una energía barata, limpia, segura y garantizando la independencia energética. En línea con los objetivos de la UE. 
8. Hay elementos que van a coadyuvar el cumplimento de estos objetivos, como el almacenamiento, la agilización de la tramitación de las instalaciones híbridas de fotovoltaica con almacenamiento y la aprobación del procedimiento de operación 7.4 que permitiría a las renovables ayudar a controlar la tensión y la corriente reactiva de la red, así como un plan de acción de almacenamiento de la UE como parte un nuevo paquete de flexibilidad europeo.
9. El impulso de las energías renovables está contribuyendo a la reindustrialización de Europa y España a través de la ventaja competitiva que está dotando a nuestra industria, así como a alcanzar los objetivos de descarbonización en la lucha contra el cambio climático.