The last blackout Monday, April 28 He has evidenced one of the vulnerabilities of the Spanish electrical system: weigh to advance in renewable generationthere is still the same challenge: energy storage.
Insufficient growth. Spain has had A renewable boomS, but storage growth has not been able to keep up. Unlike countries like Germany, where Both sectors have evolved In parallel, in Spain it has been left behind. According to the data set out by Spanish Electricity, at the end of 2024 the installed storage capacity It was 3,356mwa very distant figure of the 22 GW target established by the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) by 2030.
There is still a lot of work. The storage problem in Spain is not only a technical issue, but also regulatory and economic. Both Franc Comino, general director of Sonnen Spainand Manel Pujol, co -founder of Samara Energyhave stated for this medium that the main barrier is the absence of a regulatory framework that offers clear price signals to facilitate the integration of batteries. Specifically, Manel Pujol stressed that The current regulatory framework It excludes the participation of batteries not linked to self -consumption in balance markets, which slows its profitability and hinders its mass implementation.
And not only batteries. The Spanish PHOTOVOLTAIC UNION (UNEF) has requested the European Commission to expedite the procedures to implement Grid forming. As has detailed For 20 minutes José Donoso, general director of the UNEF: “To have a more robust system we have to accelerate storage and use power electronics (Grid forming), that it is not yet being used because the European Commission is missing to approve the technical requirements. ”
Systems that stabilize the network? Not only exists Grid forming but also the micro -redes. But deepen a little more in the Grid formingor network formation, refers to the capacity of certain storage investors to emulate the characteristics of traditional generators, maintaining the frequency and tension of the system autonomously, According to the economist. This technology allows renewable and storage facilities to function as a virtual “source of inertia”, providing stability in critical moments.
It is not the only one. Also, there are the microredes that They represent a distributed model of energy management that combines renewable generation, storage and intelligent control systems. During the blackout, the micro -redes that could operate in “Isla mode” demonstrated their ability to maintain the electricity supply locally, disconnecting from the main system and avoiding collapse, has detailed Franc comino. In this context, Manel Pujol has stressed that the integration of residential batteries is already gaining ground, especially in solar projects, where more than half of the facilities they manage include storage, thus reflecting a positive trend towards the adoption of the distributed model.
Financing. The price of batteries It has descended and it is expected that in 2026 the barrier of 100 dollars/kWh will be broken. However, the cost remains a barrier to small consumers, which slows their mass adoption. In addition, less than two months ago, the European Commission approved A aid scheme of 700 million euros to reinforce energy storage in Spain within FEDER funds.
A possible solution. Franc Comino has indicated that to accelerate the penetration of storage, tax incentives must be applied: in the residential field through IPR and the industrialist through the Corporation Tax. Thanks to this measures, the initial cost of the batteries could be reduced and thus facilitate its large -scale implementation. For its part, Manel Pujol has stressed that access to public aid and the implementation of tax incentives should go hand in hand to prevent the cost of storage from becoming an insurmountable barrier for small consumers, especially in the residential field.
Forecasts The future of the Spanish electrical system will depend on its ability to efficiently integrate energy storage and adopt advanced technologies such as gridforming and micrordes. In addition, Franc Comino has declared that the approved aids will not be enough if it is not accompanied by an extent in administrative processing and a regulatory framework that allows these technologies to be deployed quickly. For its part, Pujol emphasizes that the real challenge is not only in the infrastructure, but in changing public perception about storage and in developing a viable economic model so that the transition is accessible to all consumers.
Spain has the opportunity to lead a new energy stage. The question is whether you will know how to move quickly.
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