Energy in Demand News, May 4-5, 2025

What a way to start the week. Shortly after noon on Monday April 28th, Spain’s electricity grid suddenly and unexpectedly lost 15 GW of power—equivalent to 60% of its national demand. The massive drop caused most of the country’s electricity system to shut down, followed by much of neighbouring Portugal’s. There has been much comment about what caused the blackout. Check out our post on the blackout by J. Guillermo Sánchez León from the Universidad de Salamanca who gives his explanation. Spoiler alert: it’s not at all clear what role renewable energy played in the power failure.

The Financial Times this week reports  in an article by Anjana Ahuja that the US is now a rogue state when it comes to climate science. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “the home of US climate and weather science, is the messenger currently in the process of being shot. Its monthly media briefings on climate and weather data are ending and there are plans to gut its scientific research arm, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.” Data is fundamental to climate science.  The FT article says that “several institutes in Germany have rallied to back up Noaa databases (the data is free to download and use) after it was revealed that the US administration planned to cancel web-hosting contracts.” The conclusion: “It is hard to shake off the feeling that, in the new-look US, climate data is the enemy.”

For the moment, at least, all is not lost. The New York Times reported this weekend that “ Major science groups said Friday that they would publish the country’s flagship report on climate change, a project that the Trump administration threw into limbo by dismissing hundreds of scientists who had been working on it. . . . The American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society said they would publish the work, known as the National Climate Assessment, as originally planned. Brandon Jones, the president of the union and a program director with the National Science Foundation, said in the statement: “It’s incumbent on us to ensure our communities, our neighbors, our children are all protected and prepared for the mounting risks of climate change. This collaboration provides a critical pathway for a wide range of researchers to come together and provide the science needed to support the global enterprise pursuing solutions to climate change.” Long may it continue.

In planning travel over the upcoming weeks, here are some useful ideas to help you along:

• Country Living Magazine provides 3 European train routes set to transform travel in 2025
• World Walks provides us with the top spring walks in Europe.
• For those who want to combine hiking with food and wine in Europe and Australia, check out the Hedonistic Hiking website.
• Cycling for Softies provides us with the 15 Best Cycling Holidays in Europe 2025.
• Torino (Italy) is embracing a new era, transforming from an industrial powerhouse into a flourishing tourism destination: Torino Named European Capital of Smart Tourism 2025.

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015), an English author, humourist, and satirist will make you smile this week: “The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.”

EiD welcomes your views about this week’s selection of posts on the zero-carbon energy transition:

• New EEA assessment on impacts of PFAS polymers in Europe
• New German study has exposed the myth that newly purchased household appliances protect the climate and save money due to their higher energy efficiency
• UK Opposition leader is on record as backing the need for net zero, so why is she now back-tracking on previous commitments?
• With global climate leadership at risk, China has the chance to step up
• The importance of leaders and other high-profile people visibly leading by example, demonstrating commitment and helping to establish new social norms
• How to play and enjoy music while respecting and helping the planet
• While batteries have been around for decades, researchers are still trying to fully understand how these batteries behave
• Our energy and climate transition: are people’s minds really made up? Or are they still open to change?
• Understanding the recent Iberian blackout

Please send your comments on any of the posts. Please recommend EiD to your friends and colleagues.

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