Household electricity trips are increasing in European countries. Spain and Portugal recently experienced a mass blackout, and many worry that such occurrences will become even more frequent. This is primarily due to Europe’s increased use of renewable resources while failing to update its decades-old grid system.
Why Are Blackouts Occurring?
When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, Europe stopped relying so heavily on Russian gas. This led the country to create more renewable energy sources like solar energy, windmills, and electric cars. While these options are better for the environment, they do not have enough inertia like the burning of fossil fuels does.
Europe still relies on an outdated grid system, so it cannot account for the large rise in electricity following the implementation of renewable energy. Inertia, which is heavily prevalent in fossil fuels, absorbs the shock if there are sudden jolts in electricity within the system. Electricity usage is rising faster than ever, causing more jolts than normal, and because renewable energy lacks inertia, blackouts and household trips occur.
What is more concerning is that investors continue investing in renewable energy to maintain their reputation as having green thumbs. Still, there is a lack of investment in the necessary grid system upgrades to combat this growing problem of outages. Issues will only increase if this problem is left unchecked.
Some areas are and will continue to be more affected than others. The cross-connection between countries and land in Europe is already vulnerable. In the event of a grid failure, regions on the outskirts of Europe’s central system will experience immediate circuit breaker trips and mass power outages. Circuit breakers trip in response to prolonged overloads caused by overcurrents, short circuits or ground faults.
What Can Be Done to Fix It?
The main problem is Europe’s aging grid system. The last upgrade was over 40 years ago, and updating something of this scale will probably cost trillions. Improvements within cross-border grid connections must also be made so that places on the outskirts of Europe are not continuously at higher risk.
Currently, companies supplying energy and electricity are rewarded based on the amount of energy they produce, not the stability of that energy. Since outages, trips and blackouts are on the rise, officials must start rewarding companies based on the stability of their energy as well. This should provide a necessary incentive to make grid systems more reliable.
Since the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy was abrupt and is causing blackouts, a more stable approach might be necessary. If countries begin using both renewable energy and fossil fuels, while the grid system issue hopefully gets resolved, then there could be fewer immediate blackouts and homes left without power.
To combat these electricity trips, more stabilizing technology must be implemented faster. An example of this could be something that mimics inertia for renewable energy to absorb the electricity and avoid a blackout.
Will Outages Become More Frequent?
Places in Europe closer to the central grid system should not experience outages for the next few years. However, areas farther away from it will probably continue experiencing mass blackouts until this issue is resolved.
Some argue that the mass blackout in Spain and Portugal is the first of many. Due to its severity, people wonder if there is a higher risk for these types of outages in the future. There has been a lot of talk about who to blame, but the leading cause is an overvoltage in the electrical supply due to an outdated grid system.
How Are Citizens Reacting?
Citizens, businesses and the government fear the threat of cyberattacks, which are becoming more consistent. Erratic electricity and more common blackouts can make it easier for a cybercriminal to launch an attack.
Since renewable energy sources are currently unreliable in Europe, some citizens are reverting to old energy that requires burning fossil fuels. It is increasingly important to update the electrical grid system and implement stabilizing technology so citizens can continue to rely on renewable resources and combat climate change.
A New Electrical Grid System
Europe’s electrical grid system is too old to withstand the increasing usage of renewable energy sources, causing blackouts, outages and household trips. The system must be updated, but the cost will be high. Regulations must be implemented to incentivize companies to provide a large amount of stable energy. If Europe continues to use its outdated energy grid and appropriate actions are not taken, power outages could become more frequent.
About the author: Jane works as an environmental and energy writer. She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Environment.co.
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 
The 1st para was true(ish). The 2nd not wholly correct, EU was building
lots more RES before the Russian invasion, RES (exception hydro)
provides no system inertia (which has nothing to do with “burning fossil
fuels” – nukes provide system inertia). The EU elec power network is not
“outdated” and the rise in elec demand is within the capacity of the
existing system to absorb it. System inertia delivers frequency
stability and both generators and some loads (motors that do NOT use
drives) can also deliver it. So can e.g. batteries coupled to inverters
with the correct software. The outage in Spain, was caused partly
because the Spanish TSO had contracted for inertia provision which did
not occur. In fairness to the writer, she is correct in identifying one
of the problems: a failure to invest in the provision of synthetic
inertia by renewable systems. As for cross-border interconnectors, these
have always been problematic even before the substantive advent of RES
(France – Switzerland-Italy Sept 2003 – Italy lost power for one day
because one interconnector tripped (earth fault) causing a cascade
trip). The talk about “the last upgrade was over 40 years ago” is
nonsense and indeed the article linked to just says that much of the
existing network is over 40 years old. And? When I was 16 – more than
half a century ago, I worked with jointer on cables that dated from
1905. The cables are still there ditto the joint box. The writer talks
as if the power network is a kitchen that needs renewable “’eh luv, it’s
getting a bit old – cann’t we ‘ave a new one”. Network companies are
remunerated on the value of their asset base. Fact. Lots more assets,
lots more revenue (and there is also penalties for NOT keeping the
lights on). The article linked to quoted Mr Ruby of Eurelectric – his
members (network companies) would love to get more revenue – thus his
assertions etc. The provision of system inertia by renewables is a
trivial (& low cost) engineering problem, well understood back in 2010
if not before. Leaving the open question: why has it not been
implemented. In fairness to the writer: she gets there – eventually &
no, the outage in Spain was not due to over-voltage and it was not an
“outdated grid system” it was insufficient system inertia. Thus does one
para contradict another. The final para is daft, the problem with the
network is not age, the problem is a failure to recognise that more
system inertia is needed and to do something about it (& by the way, the
Spanish network is regarded as very modern). I am certain the writer
means well, but it is clear she is not an engineer.