The reality doesn't matter to 90% of people.
Richard Tice, the Reform party’s deputy leader and energy spokesman, said the events in Spain should be a warning to Britain and showed the risks of net zero.
He said: “We need to know the exact causes but this should be seen as a wake-up call to the eco-zealots.
“Power grids need to operate within tight parameters to remain stable. Wind and solar outputs by contrast, vary hugely over long and short periods so they add risk to the system. The UK’s grid operators and our Government should take heed.”
That's the same Richard Tice that blamed a substation fire on Net Zero and wants to tax renewable power to subsidise non-renewables.
A roundup of people jumping to conclusions is at
https://reneweconomy.com.au/spains-blackout-has-already-trig...
> The core priority of grid services right now is getting power restored, rather than establishing the narrow chain of causal events, which will take weeks or likely months. That will be more than enough time for the narrative to be set in stone; immune to whatever reality emerges from careful investigation.
Wait until you find Spain it's the 2nd most mountainous region in Europe. Hint: anything non-coast can have dry summers and cold winters, brutal in the mountain regions such as Asturias and Leon, were they burnt coal like crazy, and having temperatures below 0 was and it's still the norm, not the exception. And not just the south of Cantabria, Asturias and so; the Castilles, Aragon and the mountain regions can amaze tourist as if they were phonied expecting a 'sunny' Spain like the beaches.
Mostly humid and foggy panoramas with mountains; and hot and dry summers in the Castilles; but it's like Ohio and the inner USA: you have extremes in both sides. Scorching sun and crazy cold winters, and yet the corn -wheat in Spain- raises like nothing.
So, one valid approach for one region can be void for another one. You can't except to set a global energy policy that works everywhere. Kinda like the US; not everything it's like Texas or Florida.
And, yes, we had tons of dams too near the Tagus and Duero rivers, they can produce tons of power too.
Nowadays, well, I'm pro nuclear, coal was something obsolete since the 80's and 90's.
Wide scale blackouts aren't exactly unknown, no matter what the generation.
And while you and I may agree, sadly the people who need convincing are those who listen and vote for the parties who say "it doesn't matter what we do here when China builds more coal power plants a week than we've ever had".
When they say "the reason you were without power is solar", and the opposition say "doesn't matter, you can't have gas", they aren't going to vote for the opposition.
No, we do not, unless you use a very narrow definition of sustainable. Nuclear will play a big part, especially in Western Europe, thanks to France which exports to all its neighbours and is a good stabilising provider.
And other than that, who knows. Green hydrogen could be a solution for energy storage.
As of early September 2022, 32 of France's 56 nuclear reactors were shut down due to maintenance or technical problems. In 2022, Europe's driest summer in 500 years had serious consequences for power plant cooling systems, as the drought reduced the amount of river water available for cooling.
And rules around this have been adjusted to have less of an impact for the next "once in a 500 years" event.
Also, in the same way that France's nuclear power generation being out was covered by German and British renewables, during low points of renewable generation in those countries, French nuclear covered the gaps. That's the point of an interconnected network.