From MasterResource

By Robert Bradley Jr.

“Could the reliability of the Iberian Peninsula grid be ensured by introducing new technical solutions? Technically, yes—but economically, the feasibility is more challenging.” ( – J.K. Nøland, below)

Jonas Kristiansen Nøland, associate professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, has a verdict on the Iberian Peninsula blackout. His take follows:

Recent evidence indicates that Europe’s worst blackout, occurring in the Iberian Peninsula, originated from an unstable power grid. This instability likely triggered the cascading chain of events that followed.

In the half-hour leading up to the blackout, two episodes of power and frequency oscillations were observed in the Continental European synchronous area. Grid operators took actions to mitigate these oscillations.

The likely root cause of these undamped “inter-area oscillations” was the inherently low inertia of the Spanish power grid at midday, with approximately 70% of generation provided by inverter-based solar and wind. Such renewable sources lack the spinning reserve needed to effectively resist frequency oscillations.

Due to these unstable grid conditions, exceptionally high rates of change of frequency (RoCoF) occurred, which became the final nail in the coffin. As a result, low-frequency load shedding (UFLS) were not able kick in to save the day.

The critical tipping point came with the first generation loss at 12:32:57, involving roughly 2.2 GW, likely from solar PV generation in southwest Spain—a region dominated by solar power.

This generation loss, occurring under already unstable conditions (likely owing to overvoltages, which is the hypothesis of Luis Badesa) accelerated a rapid frequency collapse within the inertia-deficient system. Officials from Red Eléctrica (REE) noted a “strong oscillation” precisely at this point, leading to protective disconnections cascading across the grid due to high RoCoF.

Could the reliability of the Iberian Peninsula grid be ensured by introducing new technical solutions? Technically, yes—but economically, the feasibility is more challenging.

Notably, REE had already installed synchronous condensers and leveraged existing synchronous generation (nuclear, hydro, solar thermal) to bolster inertia and voltage stability. Unfortunately, these measures proved insufficient.

Nonetheless, deploying additional synchronous condensers or procuring fast frequency reserves (FFR) to provide virtual inertia through balancing markets significantly increases system costs.

Currently, FFR is typically procured only during short intervals of low inertia. Operating a consistently low-inertia grid would demand permanent, costly frequency support mechanisms, potentially making such a solution economically challenging.

Sources:
[1] 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒𝐎-𝐄 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥: https://lnkd.in/dajvNZ3f
[2] 𝐞𝐥𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚.𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞: https://lnkd.in/dmRHp5Zz
[3] 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: https://lnkd.in/dCEVR549
[4] 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: https://lnkd.in/d8YXEumZ
[5] 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞-𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐬: https://lnkd.in/ghMYqhsq

——————-

Also see:

Inertia in One Lesson (Dave Edwards on LinkedIn) May 6, 2025

From THE DAILY CALLER

Audrey Streb
Contributor

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving to ax credits for vehicles with start-stop technology.

Obama-era regulatory credits benefiting manufacturers for supplying vehicles with engines that automatically shut off when stopped to save gas will be rolled back, according to an EPA spokesperson. Though championed by environmentalists, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin critiqued the feature, writing that “everyone hates it.”

“Start/stop technology: where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy. EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it.” Zeldin wrote on X on Monday.

The office is moving to dissolve the fuel economy credits through the reconsideration of greenhouse gas rules announced on March 12 or a separate regulatory action.

“The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program is another example of a bureaucratic government program that does not improve air quality. Instead, it costs American businesses and manufacturing millions of dollars, hurting small businesses and the ability to achieve the American Dream,” Zeldin said in the press release, noting that the EPA is reconsidering the program. (RELATED: Trump EPA Reportedly Axing Obama-Era Greenhouse Gas Emissions Disclosure Rule)

The announcement also states that the program is “unlike every other mandatory information collection by EPA under the Clean Air Act” as it is not directly related to a “potential regulation nor developed with that intention.”

Though not mandated, the implementation of these stop-start credits has led to an influx of vehicles with the controversial feature.

In model year 2012, less than 1% of vehicles had the start-stop feature, while in 2021, that figure skyrocketed to 45%, according to the spokesperson. In model year 2022, new vehicles with the feature totaled 65%, according to Battery Council Organization statistics.

There is also some evidence that the stop-start feature can wear on the engine, unless manufacturers ensure otherwise.

“The higher number of stop-start cycles lead to increased engine wear unless steps are taken to prevent it,” Autocar, a UK automobile magazine states. “As a result, car manufacturers and component suppliers have taken many steps to ensure engine wear due to start-stop systems is minimal,” the publication continues.

The start-stop regulatory credits are found under 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 86.1869-12 and were granted by the EPA under the Obama administration in October 2012 as part of the “2017 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards” rule.

The EPA created a system to reward carmakers with credits for “off-cycle technologies” that cut down CO2 emissions, but don’t show up fully in emissions tests, according to the official. The stop-start credits are just one of many regulatory credit types created during 2012-2016 under 40 CFR 86.1869-12.

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