Spain’s electricity grid operator Red Eléctrica has denied claims that a massive power outage in the country was caused by the high share of solar power in the energy mix, Reuters reports.
The company stated that the causes of the outage have been narrowed down to two separate incidents of generation loss in the southwest of the country. An investigation is currently underway to determine the exact circumstances.
Red Eléctrica’s president, Beatriz Corredor, emphasized that renewable energy sources should not be blamed for the incident. According to her, modern technologies are stable and function on par with traditional power generation systems, posing no threat to grid stability.
At the time of the blackout, solar power accounted for 53% of electricity generation, wind power for 11%, and nuclear and gas-fired plants for 15%.
According to the operator, the share of renewable energy in Spain has grown from 43% to 56% over the past decade, with a target of reaching 81% by 2030.
Meanwhile, Spain’s National Court has classified the investigation materials related to the blackout.
