Spain Blackout Shows Need for Batteries in Renewable-Heavy World
Companies are working on technologies from batteries to AI that can help ensure renewables and more electricity demand don’t threaten the grid.
Pedestrians try to use their mobile phones during the Spanish blackout last week.
Photographer: Angel Garcia/BloombergLast week, Spain’s power grid failed in mere seconds, blacking out the entire country and parts of Portugal. It was a stunning collapse that illustrates an inviolable law of the electric system: The heartbeat of the grid — known as frequency — must be stable at all times.
With more renewables on the grid and an ever-greater reliance on electricity to power everything from cars to heat pumps, the chances of that heart skipping a beat are rising. That has grid operators racing to find solutions to avoid the next Spain-sized blackout — and they’re increasingly turning to batteries.