electrical

lack of electrical capacity

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For decades, the major obstacles to housing construction in Spain have almost always been the same: land, permits, financing or administrative deadlines. Today, a new limit has been added to that list, less visible and much more difficult to overcome. In many parts of the country, promotions with approved planning and projects ready to start are stopped before moving a single machine. Not because of a lack of buyers or because of urban problems, but because they cannot connect to the electrical grid. Without this permit, there is no development or work possible. What seemed like a technical procedure has become an unexpected wall. And it happens more and more frequently. The grid says “no”: the collapse of electrical capacity. The data confirms that this is not a one-time problem. Spain is going through structural saturation of its electrical distribution network, which is blocking new residential developments in much of the territory. According to the electrical employers’ association Aelecin 2024 the urban sector requested around 6.7 gigawatts (GW) of access and connection to the electrical grid for new housing developments. At the end of the year, only a very small part of those applications were approved. Around 40% were directly rejected due to lack of capacity, and another significant percentage was still in process. The traffic jam was not corrected in 2025. On the contrary, according to the employeronly 12% of requests for access and connection to the electrical grid have been granted. In total, around 40 gigawatts have been requested, of which 66% could not be met due to lack of capacity, a fact that reinforces the idea that the problem is no longer temporary, but structural. The diagnosis is clear for the promoter sector. The Association of Real Estate Developers of Madrid, ASPRIMA, estimates that the capacity corresponding to the applications denied in 2024 is equivalent to approximately 350,000 homes throughout Spain that are at risk of not being able to be urbanized, at least within the planned deadlines. The situation did not improve the following year. Although the data disaggregated by sector is not yet known, as El Mundo has detailedthe rejection rate for all applications for network access – including industry, urban planning, data centers or electric mobility – has increased to 66%, compared to 49% the previous year. A problem that spreads throughout the territory. The electricity blockade especially affects large cities, where the demand for housing is higher and residential developments are concentrated. Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Valencia and Seville are among the areas with the highest volume of rejected urban planning applications, as El Mundo has had access. But the problem is not limited to large urban centers. Entire provinces have critical levels of saturation. The capacity maps of the distribution network confirm this x-ray. The latest update shows that more than 88% of electrical nodes medium and low voltage networks are already saturated, which prevents the connection of new residential consumers. Why has it reached this point? The causes of the collapse are multiple and have accumulated over time. One of the main ones is the mismatch between urban planning and electrical planning. As ASPRIMA explainedresidential developments advance on paper without the network being prepared to absorb the new demand, forcing developers to assume unforeseen reinforcements or wait for network expansions that can take years. Added to this imbalance is a simultaneous increase in electricity demand coming from several fronts: industrial electrification, data centerselectric mobility, self-consumption and energy rehabilitation of the housing stock. According to Endesa datamore than 50% of connection requests are being rejected due to insufficient capacity. Regulation is another link in the traffic jam. The current system prioritizes the order of arrival (“first come, first served”), regardless of the degree of maturity of the projects. There are also long and rigid power reserves, as well as points with physically available capacity that are not used due to regulatory barriers, what is known as “idle capacity”. All of this is based on an infrastructure designed for an energy system very different from the current one. As We have pointed out in several analyzes in Xatakafor every euro invested in electricity generation, barely 40 cents are allocated to networks, when the energy transition requires just the opposite: strengthening transportation and distribution. A lot of land, little capacity to connect it. The contrast between potential and reality is striking. Spain has classified residential land with theoretical capacity for up to seven million homes, but only a minimal fraction is in a position to be developed in the short term. According to the Atlas Reanalytics report87% of potential homes lack immediate access to the electrical grid, which limits their viability even in advanced phases of urban management. The average time to transform land into housing exceeds twenty years in most provinces. In other words, the problem is not just how much land is available, but what infrastructure goes along with it. Unlocking the bottleneck. Given this scenario, ASPRIMA has prepared a report with 16 measures to unlock thousands of homes through regulatory and operational changes in the electrical infrastructure. The proposals are grouped into five large areas: network planning, optimization of existing capacity, administrative streamlining, certainty in the execution of infrastructure and review of cost distribution. From the electricity sector they agree that the problem requires an urgent response. Aelec, together with Deloitte, calls for more investment in networksmore advance and flexible planning and a stable regulatory framework that facilitates the financing of new infrastructures. It also proposes taking advantage of underused capacity in the transportation network and accelerating permits and reinforcements. An impact that goes beyond construction. The saturation of the electrical network not only affects the promotion of new housing. It also threatens electrification and improving the efficiency of the existing residential stock. Today, the residential sector concentrates the 18% of final energy consumption and continues to rely heavily on fossil fuels for air conditioning. Without a network capable of absorbing new demand, it will be difficult to deploy technologies such as … Read more

The US electrical grid does not support so many data centers so they have had an idea: disconnect them to avoid blackouts

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One third of all data centers in the world They are in the US and that is putting a huge burden on the electrical grid. One of the consequences that consumers are noticing is the price increases on the invoice, But electricity operators already foresee another problem: blackouts. What is happening. They tell it in WSJ. The US power grid is beginning to become strained, with grid operators expecting blackouts during periods of high demand. The solution they propose to avoid this is to make data centers disconnect from the network and use their own energy reserves temporarily. The technology companies have not been amused and talk about “discriminatory measures.” Why is it important. In 2023, data centers already consumed 4% of all the country’s electricity and the forecasts are that by 2028 that percentage will increase to 12%. The electrical grid is not prepared to support so much demand and, although it is already expanding, the pace of construction of new data centers is faster. Network operators face a difficult dilemma: powering data centers while maintaining supply to consumers. ‘Kill switch’. PJM Interconnection It is the organization that oversees the energy market in the Midwest, where they have already suffered from the problem of price increases. The concern that blackouts will occur is on the table and PJM has proposed that technology companies create their own energy sources or accept that their supply will be cut off if the network becomes too saturated. They are not the only ones who have raised something like this. With demand expected to double by 2035, Texas passed a law last year that contemplates a ‘kill switch’ that allows large consumers, such as data centers, to be disconnected at times when the network is under “extreme stress.” What the technologies say. As we said, the companies that own these data centers have not been very happy with the proposal. The Data Center Coalitionof which companies such as Google, Microsoft and AWS are part, have stated that the proposal is discriminatory since data centers need a reliable and stable network. They also warn that depending on their own energy reserves could have a negative environmental impact, by forcing them to use solutions such as diesel generators. Waiting times. There is an intermediate scenario in which technology companies can obtain benefits if they accept these conditions. As the electrical infrastructure does not support so much demand, data centers have to wait several years to be connected to the network, normally between 3 and 5 years, although there have been cases up to 8 years. Southwest Power Pool, the grid operator in Texas, has offered data centers a deal: give them access to the grid sooner in exchange for agreeing to be disconnected during times of high demand. According to a recent study Funded by Google, data centers that have more flexible connections (i.e., those that build their own power sources and accept temporary disconnections) typically connect to the grid several years faster than those that do not. Bring your own energy. Despite the reluctance towards that off button, generating your own energy is the most realistic solution and the one towards which the industry seems to be moving. Google recently bought an electrical company in order to obtain its own energy. Others big tech Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle or xAI are also exploring create your own energy solutions such as natural gas and solar panels. Image | Google In Xataka | Drastically reducing data center consumption is crucial for AI. And China has had an idea: submerge them in the sea

Wall Street has turned on the spigot of infinite money for AI. They have forgotten a small detail: the electrical network

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In that equation that the world is trying to solve with AI, there is a half that not many people have noticed: debt. Behind every AI-generated chat and video is a gigantic network of data centers, and those data centers are being financed with a mountain of borrowed money. And therein lies the problem. In what is borrowed. Debt and more debt. According to recent datathe issuance of secured debt linked to data centers in the United States is estimated to be $25.4 billion by 2025. It is 112% more than the previous year. If we add up all the complex financial instruments (known as asset-backed securities (ABS) and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBSS)), the snowball is already huge: there are almost $49 billion tied to these securities. Bonuses for everyone. Here there are not only startups asking for loans, no. The technology giants that are setting up these infrastructures – the so-called hyperscalers – are also taking advantage of this mechanism. Companies such as Microsoft, Google, Oracle or Meta have rediscovered the bond market as a source of financing. Better to spend what is not mine. They all have huge amounts of money, but instead of spending their own cash, They have raised 100,000 million dollars in debt issues so far this year. The goal: buy thousands of GPUs and build data centers before the competition. What are you doing, Oracle? If there is a company that embodies the vertigo of this excessive bet, it is Oracle. The company created by Larry Ellison has committed to meeting a Pharaonic $300 billion deal with OpenAI. That has forced it to become the largest issuer of corporate debt (outside the financial sector). The numbers are scary: your total debt has grown to 111.6 billion dollarswhile its cash has dropped by 10,000 million. Citi estimates they’ll need to borrow another $20 billion to $30 billion every year (every year!) for the next three years just to keep building. excessive ambition. There are also examples of startups that are exploiting this facet. One of the clearest is the one from CoreWeavea company famous for renting computing capacity for AI. The company has secured credit lines of $2.5 billion backed by leading investment banks such as JPMorgan. The market message seems clear: “if you’re going to build for AI, here’s the money.” How to get a 30-year mortgage. Analysts of all kinds have been keeping the fly behind their ears for some time, and one of the latest Moody’s reports is a good example. Concrete buildings are usually financed with terms of 20 or 30 years, but the technology inside (such as AI chips) changes radically every 3 or 4 years. Does it make sense to go into debt three decades from now for a technology that evolves so quickly? cheap money. Investors are also agreeing to charge minimal interest, just 1% above what the safe US public debt pays, when they assume that risk. It’s a worrying classic sign of euphoria. There is so much money wanting to enter the sector that those who lend it have lowered their guard and demand very little return for their risk. They firmly believe in the promises of AI while increasingly more analysts warnhorrified, that we are facing an “irrational exuberance.” Having money is no longer enough. All this is already scary, but the real bottleneck for expansion is not even capital or chips, but the electrical grid. As Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, pointed out, there is no power for so many chips. The situation is so worrying that a Deloitte study indicated in a study that there are a seven-year waiting line to connect some data center projects to the electrical grid. And if companies want to obtain financing, they need have guaranteed electricity supply for your data centers. If there is no plug, there is no loan. Big Tech looks for electrons. At OpenAI they already warned of the problem months ago when talking about the “electron gap” describing electrons (energy) as the new oil. Almost all the major companies in the industry are making a move. Google has signed an agreement with TotalEnergies to be delivered 1.5 TWh of electricity over the next 15 years, and Meta did something similar with Treaty Oak Clean Energy to get 385 MW of its solar plants in Louisiana. The bubble before the big question. All of this further increases the fear that the AI ​​bubble will end up bursting in a big way. Meanwhile, the big unknown is whether the demand for artificial intelligence will be capable of paying the immense electrical and financial bill that it is signing today in 5 or 10 years. The credit party continues. In Xataka | While Silicon Valley seeks electricity, China subsidizes it: this is how it wants to win the AI ​​war

The US electrical grid depends on Chinese devices. And that worries their national security

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United States national security has always been measured on aircraft carriers, missiles and satellites. Today, however, a growing part of that security depends on something much more everyday: electricity. The grid that powers homes, hospitals, data centers and military bases is going through —despite political resistance from the Trump administration— an accelerated transformation towards renewable sources. But that transition, key to the country’s energy future, has introduced a silent vulnerability. The back door open. The expansion of solar energy has made the US electrical grid depend massively of inverters made in China, essential devices for converting solar energy into electricity usable by the grid. They are not simple pieces of hardware: they are digital systems, connected, with software, remote communication capabilities and, in many cases, manufactured by companies with direct or indirect links to Beijing. For years, this dependency was seen as an industrial or commercial problem. Today, for those responsible for national security, it has become something very different. The agency notice. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), the National Security Agency (NSA) and the FBI published a joint notice in which they alleged that cyber actors sponsored by the People’s Republic of China had compromised and maintained persistent access to critical US infrastructure. The identified group, known as Volt Typhoonhad managed to infiltrate organizations in key sectors such as energy, water, transportation and communications. The objective was not to steal data or obtain financial benefits. According to the security agencies documentthe behavior detected “is not consistent with traditional espionage” and points, with “high confidence”, to a different strategy: enter critical systems, remain hidden for long periods and wait. Wait for a crisis or conflict scenario in which those same infrastructures may be interrupted or degraded. It’s exactly the scenario that FBI Director Christopher Wray has described before Congress warning that China is positioning itself to attack American civilian infrastructure as part of its strategic planning. From stealing secrets to preparing chaos. For years, cyber activities attributed to China focused on the theft of intellectual property and trade secrets. Today, according to security officialsthe objective is different: to create the ability to cause internal chaos in the United States and limit its room for maneuver in a conflict, especially in the Indo-Pacific. The systems attacked by Volt Typhoon—such as ports, regional power grids, or water utilities—have no immediate economic or political value. Precisely for this reason, experts conclude that the only reason to infiltrate them is to be able to sabotage them later. It is not necessarily about causing a national blackout. As government sources explainselective interruptions, cascading failures or highly visible incidents would be enough to generate social panic, put pressure on policy makers and condition decision-making. Towards the transition. The U.S. power grid is increasingly reliant on solar inverters and storage systems—so-called investor-based resources— which are not simple pieces of hardware. They are digital, connected systems that regulate the flow of energy, stabilize the frequency and constantly communicate with other elements of the network. According to the In Broad Daylight reportprepared by Strider Technologies, since 2015 China has exported nearly 2.68 billion kilograms of inverters to the United States, dominating two-thirds of the world market. To understand the scale of the phenomenon: 86% of electricity companies analyzed by Striderwhich represent about 12% of the installed capacity in the United States, use at least one Chinese supplier considered risky. Together, these devices are present in 5,400 megawatts of solar capacity spread across 22 states, enough electricity to keep more than a million homes powered for a year. The concern is not trivial. A Chinese manufacturer remotely disabled inverters installed in the United States and other countries amid a contract dispute, demonstrating that manufacturers retain operational control on already deployed equipment. Furthermore, research cited by The Washington Post reveal the existence of undocumented communication components in some inverters, capable of connecting to external networks without the operators’ knowledge. According to Striderthe problem is compounded because Chinese academic and military institutions have produced thousands of studies on foreign power grid vulnerabilities, many of them focused on deliberate disruption scenarios. China has come forward against the accusations. A spokesman for its embassy in Washington responded to Reuters and Washington Post rejecting that there is a security problem and denouncing what he described as a “generalization” of the concept of national security to discredit Chinese advances in energy infrastructure. Beijing has not announced technical reviews, external audits or changes to the control mechanisms of these devices. A dilemma without a simple solution. In the short term, US authorities have ordered electric companies to limit or monitor external communications from these devices. However, as officials recognizethe fragmentation of the electricity sector—with thousands of operators and unequal standards—makes a uniform response difficult. In the medium term, the dilemma is more complex. A massive recall of Chinese hardware could put energy supplies at risk at a time of strong demand growth. Maintaining it implies accepting a strategic vulnerability. In the long term, the consensus among analysts is clear: energy is no longer just an economic or climate issue, but a matter of national security. As Strider’s report concludesensuring the transition to clean energy without creating new strategic dependencies has become a defensive priority. The new dimension of national security. The US power grid does not need to be attacked tomorrow to become a pressure tool today. The vulnerability already exists, integrated in the form of everyday devices, invisible to the end user but critical to the functioning of the country. The question raised by the official documents themselves is not whether that capacity will be used, but in what context and for what purpose. Because, in the strategic competition of the 21st century, the control of energy can be as decisive as the control of territory. Image | Unsplash and freepik Xataka | The US and China are involved in a controversy over renewable devices: what we know (and, above all, what we do not know) so far

Asturias has the electrical network so saturated that a simple failure would be enough to put the supply in check this summer

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A year ago everything indicated that Asturias was going to become the new Spanish energy storage hub. But these plans, which were going to help integrate renewables, alleviate the grid and attract industry, collided with reality. Today, the panorama is very different. Not only has the region paralyzed new storage facilities, but an official report has just confirmed a more worrying diagnosis: Asturias is saturated with energy, but does not know where to put it. In short, the central area’s electrical grid is at its limit. The CNMC uncovers the problem. The trigger It is an apparently technical conflict between EDP (Hidrocantábrico Distribución) and Red Eléctrica de España for access to the Carrió substation. As local media have reportedthe distributor requested to replace two transformers to increase its capacity from 513 MW to 665 MW, but REE rejected it, arguing that the network could not supply so much simultaneous demand. This rejection took the case to the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), which issued a resolution with a forceful message: the transport network in the central zone is saturated, it cannot grant new permits, there is “relevant overcapacity” and there is a “risk to the security of supply in the event of a simple failure, in the summer season.” Furthermore, the commission itself recognizes that the case dates back to 2007, when the separation between distribution and transportation occurred and assets were transferred to REE without documenting the guaranteed access capacities. As the official report explains, for years REE and EDP operated “as always”, but with opposite interpretations about how much capacity was really assured for the Asturian network. What does it mean to be saturated? Although it may seem like a technical concept, the CNMC has detailed in its report a more precise image of what is happening. To begin with, saturation means that the network cannot grant even one more access. The regulator detects a “total saturation of capacity, without the possibility of granting new access or connection permissions.” This means that no new industries, no renewable parks and no storage projects can connect: the grid is literally full. Added to this blockage is another underlying problem. The central Asturias network does not meet the minimum legal criterion known as N-1, which requires guaranteeing supply even if a key component fails. However, the CNMC itself confirms that this requirement is not met: If a transformer or main line falls, there is no alternative path capable of absorbing the energy, making any incident a potential risk. The situation is even more delicate according to the data. The regulator’s report indicates that two large electro-intensive consumers already absorb 686 MW, to which we must add the 200 MW that EDP needs to feed the distribution network. In total, more than 800 MW connected. The problem is that the safe capacity in summer – when the lines perform worse due to high temperatures – is 754 MW. In other words: there is more connected power than the network can safely support. And the room for maneuver is practically non-existent. According to the CNMC, if Cardoso’s 400/220 kV transformer failed, the entire area would be supplied only by a 220 kV line that does not support current consumption in summer. In practical terms, this means that any simple failure could trigger a real supply problem in the middle of the summer season. The point is that there is energy, but it cannot be moved. The paradox is evident: Asturias wants more renewables, it wants batteries, it wants to electrify its industry and it wants to attract new strategic projects. But all this growth requires a robust electrical grid with margin. And right now, that margin does not exist. Carrió’s transformers could handle more power, yes, but that is unimportant if the lines that connect them are already at their limit. Even the future conversion to gas of the Aboño thermal power plant —designated by the Principality as future relief— does not solve the current problem, because the bottleneck is in transportation, not in generation. How did we get here? In addition to the historical conflict between REE and EDP, a chain of factors have aggravated the situation. One of the most decisive is the increase in power assigned to some large industrial consumers. In 2022, Red Eléctrica granted an electro-intensive customer an increase of 132 MW, reaching 450 MW of power between Carrió and Tabiella. The regulator clarifies that this decision did not violate the regulations, but it does highlight the lack of coordination with EDP, which was not informed and saw how the capacity margin of the area was exhausted practically at once. Added to this problem is another longer-term problem. As El Comercio remembersthe necessary reinforcements for the central network have been planned for more than 20 years, but were never executed. The result is that Asturias faces industrial electrification and the growth expected for the coming years with a network that has not been updated at the pace of demand. The evolution of the local generation. The situation is complicated as cogeneration, a key technology for producing electricity and heat near industrial centers, has collapsed. According to figures published by El ComercioAsturias has lost 82% of cogeneration production in six years. This implies less energy generated at source and, therefore, more need to bring electricity from outside through a network that is already saturated. The economic and environmental impact is also notable: 60 million euros less industrial turnover and 230,000 additional tons of CO₂. And now what? The Asturian Government insists that the problem will be resolved with the 400 kV central ringa gigantic infrastructure included in the energy planning for 2030. This ring will double the electric transportation capacity in the metropolitan area and will allow it to absorb the planned industrial growth. For its part, Red Eléctrica you already have authorization for the new Cardoso substation, key to that ring, with an investment of 26.5 million euros. However, the CNMC warns that the problem is … Read more

Spain needs to modernize its electrical grid, so the remuneration rate has increased. The effect will be noticeable in the next five years

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Until now we have observed the electricity bill as has increased after the April blackout. But this time the focus is not on the receipt, but on a silent decision that the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) has just made and that will determine how much it will cost to keep the light on in the next five years. Piecemeal. The CNMC has sent to the Council of State the circulars that establish how the transport and distribution of electricity is remunerated between 2026 and 2031, the so-called “network business”: the towers, cables and transformation centers that make it possible for energy to reach homes, factories and hospitals. The technical detail is a figure: 6.58%. This new percentage – up from 5.58% – is, according to the regulator, an update that better reflects current financial conditions, after a period of rising interest rates. However, the measure is far from the 7% or 7.5% requested by the large electricity companies grouped in Aelec (Iberdrola, Endesa, EDP and Naturgy) and that the small distributors represented by CIDE also claimed. And in the pocket? Good question. These circulars, which will come into force on January 1, 2026 if the Council of State does not introduce changes, define the remuneration criteria for the entire period 2026–2031. In the short term, the increase will not be directly noticeable on the bill, but it will influence the regulated costs that support the electrical system and that we all pay. According to CNMC calculationsthe impact of the change will be between 0.9% and 1.1% of the total annual costs of the system, depending on the level of investment. The purpose of this rate is to guarantee that companies that maintain and expand the electrical network receive a reasonable return on their invested capital. If the percentage is too low, investment is discouraged; If it is too high, the costs of the system and, in the long run, the consumer’s bill increase. The regulator look for a balance point: enough attractiveness for lines to continue being built and reinforced, but without transferring an extra cost to homes. A change in calculation. For the first time, historical data and future forecasts will be combined to estimate the cost of companies’ debt, rather than relying solely on past interest rates. New components are also incorporated: transaction costs (such as commissions for issuing debt), the so-called cost-of-carry (cost of maintaining financial positions) and a correction due to the European Central Bank’s bond purchase programs, which had artificially reduced the profitability of public debt and, therefore, the risk-free rate. According to the organizationthis is a “more realistic” methodology that incorporates recent market volatility. The change will be applied in a phased manner during the six years of the new regulatory period and expands the margin of recognized investment, including not only new infrastructure but also improvements and optimization of existing ones. The goal: keep bills contained while the network is modernized. The “K parameter”. Beyond the technicalities, what is at stake is Spain’s ability to electrify its economy without skyrocketing the bill. The CNMC has set it at 257 euros per connected kilowatt, compared to 232 euros in the previous draft. The companies maintain that the real cost is around 375 euros/kW, so the improvement falls far short. This parameter determines how many industrial projects, data centers or new homes can be connected to the network without the connection being economically unfeasible. According to the employerlimiting remuneration to that level “prevents connecting part of the new consumers” and can put the competitiveness of entire sectors at risk. This has been the response. Aelec expressed its “deep concern” and warned that the new circulars “compromise the electrification and industrial development of the country.” The employers insist that the rate is still below European levels – between 6.8% and 7.5% – and warns that “it discourages investment just when the country needs to deploy more electrical infrastructure.” More than 67 business and social associations have joined his call. In a manifesto cited by Aelec itselfwarn that, if conditions are not reviewed, “the Spanish electricity networks could collapse.” The employers’ association also criticizes that the CNMC has reduced the recognized maintenance costs by 37%, which, in its opinion, may deteriorate the quality of the service and stop the connection of new clients. For its part, the CNMC maintains that its obligation is to protect the consumer and guarantee the sustainability of the system. The organization seeks to “limit the impact of investments on customer bills” and remembers that everything that electricity companies invest in these networks is paid as fixed charges on the electricity bill. The balance, the regulator insistsconsists of remunerating the necessary investments without overloading the end user. A decision with long-term effects. Behind this technical dispute lies a fundamental question: can Spain electrify its economy at the necessary pace without increasing the remuneration of the networks? The Government has launched a plan to increase investment in networks by 62% until 2030, with around 13.6 billion euros to reinforce the national network, as El Economista recalled. However, Five Days points out that the new limitations of the CNMC could stop part of these projects and leave out consumers with higher connection costs. The electricity companies are now preparing allegations before the Council of State, while the regulator defends that its proposal offers stability and predictability for six years, a rarity in a context of financial and energy volatility. An invisible, but transcendental decision. The figure of 6.58% will not say much to the average consumer, but a good part of Spain’s electrical future depends on it. It defines whether there will be enough investment to connect the new factories, electric vehicle chargers or data centers that support digitalization, and also how much each family will pay to keep that network operational. You won’t notice anything on your next bill, but this decision determines how much you’ll pay—and how reliable your grid will be—over the next five years. Between containing prices and … Read more

the architect of the chinese electrical empire

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On November 20th our Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025which you can follow from our website. In them we will reward, as always, the most important devices and technologies of this year. And of course, in its fourth edition, we will present the Xataka Leyenda award. This recognition, achieved by Pedro Duque in 2021, Margrethe Vestager in 2022 and Matt Mullenweg in 2023recognizes the journey and career of someone of great relevance in science and technology. Today we have the honor of announcing the fourth winner of this award: Stella Li, global executive vice president of BYDthe company that has transformed the automotive industry. Stella Li will join us during the Xataka NordVPN 2025 Awards gala in a few weeks (you can still get a ticket) and we will do an interview that you can see and read on Xataka. You can follow it live with us. Almost three decades of total transformation Li has been with BYD for almost thirty years. He joined when it was a battery manufacturer with two dozen employees that supplied Motorola. Today he directs operations in 88 countries of a company that is approaching a million workers and exceeds $100 billion in revenue. In 2024, BYD manufactured 4.27 million electric vehiclesmore than any other manufacturer in the world. At the beginning of the year she was appointed World Car Person of the Year 2025the first woman and the first Chinese to receive this recognition. His philosophy is direct: “Our common enemy is the internal combustion engine.” He does not see competitors in Tesla or Volkswagen, but rather allies against oil. A rare bird. The industry has been betting on specialization for years, but Li has promoted the opposite: BYD manufactures everything in-house, from screws to chips. When the 2021 semiconductor crisis paralyzed competitors, BYD accelerated. This integration allows BYD to sell the Seagull for 9,000 euros and a luxury Yangwang for 300,000 both models being profitable. With 110,000 engineers, the company registers 32 patents daily. Solid state batteries, your great future betare confirmed for 2030, with 10,000 engineers dedicated exclusively to its development. Execution speed The Brazil plant was announced in December and was already operational in March. The Spanish network has gone from zero to 65 dealers in a year and a half months. When Europe imposed 17% tariffs, BYD pivoted to plug-in hybrids within weeks and sales skyrocketed 892%. Pure speed. Li has not focused his strategy on exporting Chinese cars, but on something very different that explains his success: creating local ecosystems. Hiring in California, development of specific flex hybrids for Brazil, software adapted for each European market… One of its latest movements has been the announcement of 20,000 million euros in European investments and the creation of 10,000 jobs in Hungary. You still have time to get your tickets for the gala Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025 on November 20 in Madrid! Join us and discover the best technological products of the year in a free event full of gadgets, humor and surprises. Advice offered by the brand Despite his growing importance, Li does not have social networks. He gives interviews, but not many. Her public profile is inversely proportional to her impact: she has opened 230 stores in Europe in 12 months, she already has a presence in 88 countries and has multiplied the value of BYD by 20,000 since 2003. She herself was personally in charge of the openings of the first offices in Hong Kong, Rotterdam and Chicago. Three decades of institutional memory converted into the greatest competitive advantage. Stella Li has transformed the global automotive market without having to make media noisecombining strategic patience Zen and very high speed of execution. For all this journey she is the winner of the Xataka Leyenda 2025 award. In Xataka | Stella Li, vice president of BYD: “In five years we will be one of the three main manufacturers in the world, I am convinced” Featured image | Xataka

What are lightning bolts and how are they formed, the impressive electrical discharges that scare and fascinate in equal measure?

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The good news is that the chance of being struck by lightning this year is less than one in a million. Even better news is that 90% of people struck by lightning survive. Even so, it is always advisable to avoid risks when we are talking about atmospheric phenomena as violent as these. Lightning strikes cause both fear and fascination, a fascination that sometimes leads us to ask questions about the nature of these immense electrical columns. What is lightning Lightning is an electrical discharge (each lightning can generate several discharges), generally of very high power, that occur in clouds. These are meteorological phenomena that, although they have its origin in the atmospheresometimes they reach the surface of the Earth. We usually associate lightning with storms and cyclones, but these discharges can occur in other contexts, for example during volcanic eruptions, during fires of a certain intensity or when nuclear weapons are detonated. How lightning is formed Lightning usually occurs in stormy conditions and, the truth is that we do not fully know how. We know that under certain conditions, clouds can go accumulating electrical charges both positive and negative. In these cases, the air acts as an insulator between areas of positive or negative accumulation, as well as between these areas and the Earth. At a certain point, the accumulation of these charges exceeds a threshold that causes this insulating capacity of the air to give way. So all that accumulation of charges generates an electric current capable of traveling long distances (even several hundred kilometers). The discharge allows the electrical charge to balance, but the charges can accumulate again until the next lightning strike. What remains a mystery to us is the beginning of this process, how positive or negative charges accumulate in certain regions. The main hypothesis suggests that the origin of this accumulation is in tiny hail particles (also called graupel) that grow as they encounter supercold water droplets (in a liquid state but with temperatures below freezing). In thunderstorms, these icy particles would frequently collide, colliding with other icy particles. These collisions would cause the charges of the different particles to gain charge of one sign or another. Difference between lightning, thunder and lightning Electrical shocks are usually invisible to the human eye and they also do not generate noise, but this is not the case with lightning. Lightning generates not only a flash of intense light, but also a significant roar. We call the zigzag luminous path of lightning lightning. As it passes through the atmosphere, the electrical discharge causes the air to heat up to exceed temperatures of 27,000º Ceslius, a temperature higher than that observed on the surface of the Sun. This causes the air to become incandescent, generating lightning. Such rapid and intense heating of the air has another effect, making it “explode” outwards. This rapid movement of air is responsible for the second element that makes up lightning, sound or, in other words, the thunder. Light and sound move through the atmosphere at very different speeds. This is what makes us see lightning even seconds before its sound reaches our eardrums. This gap gives rise to an old trick to measure the distance at which the storm is from us. If we count the seconds of lag between light and sound and divide the result by three, we can estimate the distance in kilometers at which the lightning occurred. Types of lightning Cloud flashes and cloud-to-cloud Among conventional rays we can distinguish various types depending on the location of the points they join. The first of the groups that we can distinguish is that of the cloudy flashes. Most lightning strikes never reach the ground, in fact it is common for them not to even escape the cloud in which they occur. These rays are also often called intra-cloud rays. Within the category of lightning that never reaches the ground, there are some whose path partially escapes the cloud and even some that start in one cloud and reach another different cloud. Cloud-to-surface We distinguish these cloudy flashes and rays from those that do manage to reach the Earth’s surface. These types of discharges occur from the top down, at least when they happen naturally. The rays that join cloud and surface can be both negative and positive depending on where the respective negative and positive charges are located. Negative rays are the most common rays (they represent around 95% of impacts). In these rays, the clouds accumulate a negative charge and the Earth has a positive charge. When lightning opens the channel, the negative charge moves from the cloud to the ground, hence the name. The positive rays They are less frequent but at the same time more powerful. The reason is that these originate in higher areas of the cloud, so they must travel further. This in turn means that they accumulate more energy before discharging. Other unique events However, there is a different category that we call transient light events, or TLE (transient luminous events). These phenomena are much less frequent, more difficult to observe and, as a consequence, much more mysterious. How powerful is lightning? The strength of lightning can vary considerably depending on atmospheric conditions and the Earth’s surface. As explained According to the United States National Weather Service, a “typical” lightning strike can discharge about 30,000 amperes with 300 million volts. However, we pointed out before that a positive ray can transport much more energy. According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the organization on which the American meteorological service depends, these types of discharges can be an order of magnitude higher, discharging 300,000 amperes with 1,000 million volts. Many will wonder Why don’t we take advantage of this energy? and the answer is that, today, there are too many difficulties to make this technology a reality. First, we must keep in mind that lightning is a transitory phenomenon that can occur in different places: to obtain its energy we would have … Read more

Aerothermal energy is the heating of the future, but the electrical installation is stuck in the past

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“Winter is coming”, read the iconic phrase of the Stark family in Game of Thrones. There are less than two months until the official arrival of winter and, with it, the time to see how our energy bill trembles as much as we do. Search formulas to heat the house becomes prevalent in this final stretch of the year, especially when heating continues to be one of the main reasons why electricity consumption skyrockets. Every season new technological promises appear to maintain comfort without emptying your pocket, and aerothermal energy has become one of the most popular.But the key question arises: can all homes really benefit from it? The rise of aerothermal energy. This technology It works in a very simple way: Harnesses the energy already in the outside air to heat or cool the house and produce hot water. Instead of generating heat by burning gas or consuming large amounts of electricity, this system “extracts” it from the environment and multiplies it. In practice, this means that for every kilowatt of electricity it needs to operate, aerothermal energy can produce up to five of useful heat or cold. While a radiator or boiler converts energy into heat directly, aerothermal energy does something more intelligent: it extracts heat from the air and multiplies it. According to the architects consulted by Arquitectura y Diseño They calculate that, in a medium-sized home, this difference can translate into savings of up to 35% annually, as long as the house is well insulated and the climate is favorable. For the pocket, it translates into about 100 to 130 euros less on the annual bill. So aren’t all houses ready? Although it sounds like a perfect technology, architects warn that not all homes can take advantage of aerothermal energy on equal terms. In fact, there are multiple factors that reduce its effectiveness: the type of home, its insulation, the location and the specific energy needs. In Mediterranean climates, for example, where passive design allows thermal comfort to be achieved without active systems, “it does not make sense to use aerothermal energy as the main heating or cooling system.” In other words, installing aerothermal heating without previously evaluating the home can be like buying an electric car without having a plug at home. Experts in sustainable architecture insist that energy demand must first be reduced and housing optimized before betting on advanced technologies. The state of the electrical installations is another of the great brakes on the electrification of the residential park. The Observatory of Electrical Rehabilitation of Housing warns that 80% of the houses have technical deficiencies, and that only 22.4% were built after the 2002 Technical Regulation. This makes it clear that the majority of homes continue to depend on old networks, poorly prepared to assume new energy demands such as those required by aerothermal energy or solar self-consumption. The signs to know if your home is suitable. Before considering installing aerothermal, technicians recommend doing a prior evaluation. OK with the expertsthese are the main technical requirements: Have a ventilated outdoor space, free of obstacles, to place the outdoor unit. Have a modern electrical installation and sufficient contracted power. Check the thermal insulation and carpentry: without a good envelope, the efficiency of the system drops. Adapt the existing heating system (for example, replacing conventional radiators with underfloor heating). Carry out a climate feasibility study: in very cold or hot areas, you may need support from another system. In short, aerothermal energy is not installed, it is prepared. A well-insulated house with modern electrical installation can convert air into free energy; An old home, on the other hand, can make it an expense that is difficult to amortize. Furthermore, if it is found that the initial investment It can exceed 8,000 euros for an 80 m² apartment. What if it is combined with solar energy? Where aerothermal energy deploys its full potential it is when combined with photovoltaic solar energy. This synergy multiplies performance and reduces dependence on the electrical grid. The energy generated by the plates can power the heat pump, achieving an almost self-sufficient system with an emissions balance close to zero. Furthermore, it has already been applied in real projects such as Casa Gualba, designed by Slow Studiothis formula allows the production of up to 17 MWh per year thanks to the integration of tiles and photovoltaic panels on the roof. In short, aerothermal energy and solar energy form an efficient tandem, as long as the home is prepared for it. Efficiency, yes, but with preparation. Aerothermal energy is here to stay. It is a key piece on the path to decarbonized homes, especially now that the European Union banned at the beginning of the year subsidize gas boilers. But, like all technology, it only works well when the environment supports it. Investing in aerothermal energy without first checking the electrical installation, insulation or orientation of the home can translate into frustration rather than savings. For this reason, it is advisable to do a good check and thus the air can become our best ally against the cold. Image | FreePik and FreePik Xataka | Resolving one of the great debates in all kitchens: whether it consumes more to turn on the oven or the air fryer

Data centers do not want to depend on the conventional electrical grid. Solution: build your own plants

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AI data centers have sparked a new fever: the so-called “bring your own power.” The demand and consumption The pressure these plants impose is so enormous that they do not want to depend on external sources. The solution is theoretically simple, and we are already seeing how when a new data center is built, it is normal for some type of power plant to be built next to it. We are seeing it now. The data centers that OpenAI and Oracle are building in West Texas are accompanied by the creation of a natural gas-based power plant. Both xAI’s Colossus 1 and Colossus 2 in Memphis take advantage of gas turbines. And as they also indicate in The Wall Street Journalmore than a dozen Equinix data centers across the US are powered by stand-alone fuel cells. If the conventional electrical grid cannot be used, nothing happens: you create a power plant and that’s it. The US has an electrical problem. The technology giants would prefer to connect to the conventional grid, but bottlenecks in the supply chain, bureaucracy – permits, licenses – and the slowness in building the necessary transmission infrastructure prevent this. According to the ICV firmThe United States would need to add about 80 GW of new generation capacity per year to keep pace with AI, but right now less than 65 GW per year are being built. There is another direct consequence of this problem: the rise in the electricity bill. Data centers that look like cities. The needs and ambition of AI companies has made data centers become calculation and resource consumption monsters. One can only consume as much electricity as 10,000 stores in the Walmart electronics chain, WSJ estimates. Before 2020, data centers represented less than 2% of US energy consumption. By 2028 they are expected to represent up to 12%. A 1.5 GW data center, for example, would have consumption similar to that of the city of San Francisco, with about 800,000 inhabitants. China has a lot of advantage over the US in this. While the US deal with that lack of powerChina does not stop investing in new energy generation. According to data According to the National Energy Administration, the Asian country added 429 GW of new energy generation in 2024, while the US only added 50 GW. It is true that China has four times the population, but its centralized planning is helping to avoid problems that affect the US electrical grid. The white knight to the rescue. Faced with this shortage, natural gas has become the preferred resource for on-site energy generation. Although large turbines have long delivery times, smaller turbines or fuel cells that use natural gas are being used because of their rapid availability and installation. Renewables lose steam. Meanwhile, things are not promising for renewable energies (solar and wind, especially). There are about 214 GW of new generation theoretically in projectbut spending on such technologies could decline due to the potential loss of tax credits: the Trump administration criticizes that those clean energies do not provide a constant flow necessary for AI. The nuclear alternative. Faced with this apparent decline of nuclear energy, there is a growing interest in compact nuclear reactors (SMR), which allow us to provide the advantages of this type of center and a flexibility that can be very interesting for AI data centers. amazon, Google, Goal either Microsoft They are betting part of their future on nuclear powerbut that It doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges to overcome.. Image | Wolfgang Weiser In Xataka | World record in nuclear fusion: the German Wendelstein 7-X reactor has broken all records

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