Opinion: How the lights went out in Spain

May 1, 2025

Life changed for Spaniards at noon on Monday. With the sun at its peak, the country’s largely solar-powered electrical grid shut down. Mere days before, Spain’s government had announced that its grid had for the first time run entirely on renewable power, with new records set almost daily for solar. Breathless declarations of victory flowed, in service of the government’s promise to phase out reliable nuclear power plants with many years of remaining service life. As in Germany, this promise is now the Spanish politicians’ nightmare.

Sign Up. Be Informed.

First Name*
Last Name*
Email Address*
Address*
ZIP Code
Phone Number
What tea publication would you like to subscribe to*
- Select All
- Afternoon TEA (blog sent every other Monday)
- TEA Takes (opinion column sent every Wednesday)
- Common Sense Energy (newsletter sent every Friday)
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Subscribe
- Subscribe to our weekly energy newsletter
CAPTCHA

Paid for by The Empowerment Alliance