Resilience in the age of renewables: lessons from the Iberian blackout

Last April, a rapid voltage rise occurred in Spain’s grid triggered generator disconnections, sending the country, along with Portugal, into a blackout. A report into the incident, published last month, identified the broad factors behind the system failure: • Renewables were unable to stabilise voltage • Data limits and conventional generator underperformance • ‘Shunt’ reactors did not respond in time • Spain’s high operating voltage • Generator disconnection requirements were not fully complied with What resilience-based recommendations did the report outline, and what do the...