Designing Resilient Power Systems: Lessons from the Iberian Blackout Ep. 296

Designing Resilient Power Systems: Lessons from the Iberian Blackout Ep. 296

This week on Energy Unplugged, Richard Howard, Aurora Energy Research’s Global Research Director, is joined by Christina Rentell, Research Lead for Aurora’s French and Iberian power markets. Drawing on her expertise in renewable energy, battery storage, market design, and electricity system modelling, Christina helps explain what really caused the April 2025 Iberian blackout and what it means for power systems operating with high levels of renewable generation.  Together, they take a deep dive into the April 2025 blackout, which left around 60 million people across Spain and Portugal without power for up to 18 hours. Richard and Christina unpack the events that led to the outage, examine the role of record-breaking solar generation, and explore whether renewables were truly to blame for one of Europe’s most significant power system disruptions in recent history.  The discussion looks beyond the headlines to investigate the technical causes of the blackout, including voltage instability, system oscillations, and the lack of sufficient inertia and flexibility services on the grid. Christina explains why a highly renewable power system requires new operational tools, market mechanisms, and grid capabilities, and why the blackout was ultimately as much a challenge of system design as it was of renewable penetration.  You will learn:  * Why the Iberian blackout was not caused by renewables alone, but by the interaction between high renewable penetration and insufficient system readiness.  * How voltage instability, oscillations, and a lack of inertia triggered a cascading failure across the Iberian grid.  * Why are batteries, storage technologies, and ancillary service markets becoming essential for reliable power system operation.  * How Spain’s grid operators and policymakers have responded through new market mechanisms, enhanced system visibility, and operational reforms.  * What the blackout reveals about the challenges of managing curtailment, grid congestion, and investment risk in increasingly renewable-dominated power systems.

The Solar Boom Meets the Grid, EP 295

This week on the Energy Unplugged podcast, Richard Howard, Global Research Director, Aurora is joined by Sonia Dunlop, CEO of the Global Solar Council, to discuss the state of the global solar industry and the opportunities and challenges that come with its rapid growth.  The conversation explores why solar deployment is experiencing a temporary slowdown in some markets despite continued long-term growth, the impact of China's evolving electricity market, and the growing importance of battery storage in managing curtailment, congestion and system flexibility. Richard and Sonia also discuss how market design, grid investment and regulatory reform will be critical to supporting higher shares of renewable energy in power systems around the world.  Looking ahead, they examine the future role of solar and storage in the global energy system, the evolution of supply chains and recycling, and the increasing importance of distributed energy resources, from rooftop solar to household batteries.  Sonia Dunlop is CEO of the Global Solar Council, the world's solar PV and battery storage industry association, representing companies and national industry associations across every region and market segment. Prior to joining the Global Solar Council, she held roles at SolarPower Europe, Solar Energy UK and the RE-Source Platform, and spent five years with climate think tank E3G. Sonia also worked on the UK government's COP26 organising team and began her career working on renewable energy policy in the European Parliament. She currently serves in a number of leadership positions across the global renewables sector, including as Vice Chair of the Global Renewables Alliance and Vice President of REN21.  You will learn about:  * What's driving the recent slowdown in global solar deployment.   * How battery storage is helping solve grid integration challenges.   * Why flexibility markets and grid reform are becoming increasingly important.   * The growing role of distributed solar and consumer-led investment.

SAWEM: Can South Africa Build a Competitive Power Market? EP. 294

In this episode of Energy Unplugged, two of Aurora’s energy market experts, Dan Monzani, Managing Director for UK, Ireland and South Africa, and Caroline Still, Market Lead - South Africa, examine one of the most ambitious electricity market reform programmes underway anywhere in the world.  Their conversation examines South Africa’s transition from a vertically integrated, state-led power system towards a competitive wholesale electricity market, and what the launch of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) could mean for investors, developers and consumers.  Dan and Caroline discuss how spot markets can improve transparency, strengthen investment signals and accelerate private participation in the power sector. They also explore the challenges that remain, from market design and vesting contracts to transmission buildout, coal retirements and maintaining regulatory momentum throughout the reform process.  The discussion highlights how South Africa’s energy transition reflects many of the challenges seen globally, balancing market liberalisation, infrastructure investment and security of supply, while creating new opportunities for renewables, battery storage and innovative power procurement models.  You will learn: * Why SAWEM represents a major milestone in South Africa’s electricity market reform journey  * How spot markets support price discovery, competition and investor confidence  * The key design questions around vesting contracts and market liquidity  * Long-term power price drivers, including demand growth, coal retirements, gas and transmission expansion  * The opportunities for batteries, aggregators and private capital in South Africa’s evolving power market

The Primary Energy Fallacy: Why Electrification Changes Everything, EP. 293

This week on Energy Unplugged, Richard Howard, Aurora Energy Research’s Global Research Director, is joined by Jan Rosenow, Energy Programme Lead, Jackson Senior Research Fellow and Professor of Energy & Climate Policy at Oxford University.  Drawing on his latest research, Jan explores the concept of the “primary energy fallacy” - the mistaken assumption that the clean energy transition requires replacing today’s fossil fuel energy inputs on a one-for-one basis with clean power. Richard and Jan discuss why this view overstates the scale of the challenge, and how electrification fundamentally changes the equation by delivering the same energy services with far less energy input.  The conversation examines how electrification is reshaping transport, buildings, and industry, why electric technologies are often dramatically more efficient than their fossil-fuel counterparts, and what this means for energy demand, system planning, and decarbonisation strategies. From electric vehicles and heat pumps to industrial process heat and thermal storage, the discussion explores the opportunities and barriers that will determine the pace of electrification over the coming decades.  You will learn about:  * Why the “primary energy fallacy” may be causing us to overestimate the scale of the energy transition.   * How electrification can deliver the same energy services with significantly less energy input.   * Why transport is electrifying rapidly, while buildings and industry continue to face economic and policy barriers.   * How technologies such as heat pumps, thermal batteries, and electric process heating are expanding the scope for electrification.   * What governments and energy markets need to do to make electricity the default choice across the economy.  For a deeper dive into the topic, read Jan Rosenow's accompanying article, "Is Electrification Happening Fast Enough?": Is electrification happening fast enough? - by Jan Rosenow [https://janrosenow.substack.com/p/is-electrification-happening-fast]

How Does Germany Fix Its Grid Congestion Problem? EP. 292

This week on the Energy Unplugged podcast, Casimir Lorenz, Managing Director for Central Europe at Aurora Energy Research, is joined by Aurélie Alemany, CEO of enercity, to explore one of the most pressing questions facing Germany's energy transition: how can the country solve its growing grid congestion challenge?  Aurélie became CEO of enercity in July 2024, taking over as Chair of the Board of Management of the Hanover-based energy company. She sees her most important task as advancing the digital energy transition across the Hanover region, Northern Germany and beyond. With more than 15 years of experience in the energy sector, she previously served as CEO of energy solutions provider SENEC and Managing Director of Yello Strom, alongside holding several senior leadership positions within the EnBW Group. Her experience spans renewable energy, battery storage, retail energy and grid operations, providing a uniquely broad perspective on the challenges facing Germany's evolving power system.  Recorded as Germany grapples with rising congestion costs, increasing renewable curtailment and mounting pressure to modernise its electricity market design, the conversation examines the competing approaches being proposed to manage grid constraints and deliver a more efficient energy system. Casimir and Aurélie discuss the role of flexibility, dynamic grid tariffs, regional pricing models and nodal pricing, as well as the practical and political challenges associated with reforming Europe's largest single-price-zone electricity market.  You will learn about:  * Why grid congestion has become one of Germany's most significant energy market challenges.   * The differences between dynamic grid tariffs, regional pricing zones and nodal pricing.   * How flexibility and battery storage can help reduce curtailment and improve grid efficiency.   * Why market design reforms could shape future investment decisions across Germany's energy sector.   * The technical, political and economic barriers to implementing more granular electricity pricing.