Spain Blackout Puts Spotlight on Grid Spending During Solar Boom

Spain’s nationwide blackout this week has put a spotlight on potential vulnerabilities in its system that may offer warnings to other countries, as rising electrification and clean energy sources place new demands on power grids around the world.

Spain lags behind other European states in grid spending relative to renewables investment, according to an analysis by BloombergNEF. Its solar capacity has more than doubled in the past five years, producing frequent surges in generation that far surpass demand. Yet much of Spain’s grid equipment was built and installed decades ago, before the solar rollout.