PH grid warning: Learn from Spain

POWER MOVES

- By MYRNA M. VELASCO

While the Luzon and Visayas grids are enjoying a rare respite from their usual summer 'red' and 'yellow' alert spasms, Europe was hit hard by the massive Spain-Portugal blackouts on April 28 — a stark reminder that even giant energy markets can go dark when the grid buckles under pressure.

That power system crash immediately raised alarm bells, with many focusing on Spain’s heavy reliance on renewables after solar output plummeted from 18GW to under 5GW in just one hour. This triggered a domino effect blackout that didn’t stop at the Spanish border, also affecting Portugal and parts of France due to Europe’s interconnected grid.

Some industry assessments point to a lack of contingencies — specifically, insufficient reliable baseload generation and inadequate energy storage systems. Today’s grids, it seems, aren’t designed to handle the volatile fluctuations of modern renewables flooding the system.

The full investigation is still underway, but the danger signs are unmistakable: if power markets like the Philippines continue to aggressively pursue renewables without first fixing their grid, they could be next to crash and crumble.

‘Vulnerable links’ in the Philippine power supply chain

The structural flaws in the Philippine power system are glaringly obvious, yet some stakeholders still pretend everything’s fine. Well, here’s the bad news: if that’s your mindset, you’re only fooling yourself.