Spain sparks fears of energy industry crisis as renewable supply exceeds demand | BBC News

Spain has become one of Europe’s prime renewable energy hotspots, with a sharp increase in installation of solar and wind generators over the last few years.
However despite the successful move towards green energy sources, electricity consumption has been dropping.
This has triggered concern this could lead to a crisis in the industry.
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#Spain #GreenEnergy #BBCNews

[@Bhazor]

Oh nooooooo! Cheaper energy and less fossil fuels?!? How will our poor precious billionaires possibly survive this?

[@DesignFIaw]

THe crisis is that the entirety of the electric sector will be in risk of collapsing if the government doesn't collectivize the utility companies (as they are no longer viable investments). This means buying them out for a lot of money, while also contending with all the people who believe a government owning companies is communism.

[@cayesuomi]

The fact is that isn't cheaper. Or it is cheaper to produce, but they sell it way way more expensive than the more polluting sources because of corruption.

[@drybokes7055]

Cheaper energy lol.

[@mr80s-on6qr]

Your future looks 😂😂😂😂 brainwashed 😂😂😂

[@scootergrant8683]

By selling more panels when the 30 year expiry reaches and charging premiums for their disposal given we don't currently have means to dispose of them safely.

[@gab_gallard]

What a horrible headline. It turns the positives of the green transition into a negative.

[@user-qe9bc8rk1v]

Evidence of who is funding the BBC

[@Tabula_Rasa1]

Solar panel are made in China. Any evidence of "Overcapacity" are news to the sponsors.

[@vincentkosgei7166]

I don't see any problem here

[@kv4648]

Why don't they just sell the power to Germany or something?

[@mgancarzjr]

​@@kv4648delivering electricity long distances is both difficult and expensive

[@mikey3666]

People using less energy is a good thing not a crisis

[@vegasromaniac]

Good for the planet bad for profits .. profits don't care about green .. they need consumption

[@Eden_Xiii]

Not for the money grabbing companies!

[@markmonaghan2309]

Well done Spain

[@user-qe9bc8rk1v]

Nor greedy capitalists.

[@user-he5hu7rv2c]

It is when energy is a stealth tax and the tax income drops substantially and there is no money for the services that poor people rely on such as welfare, adult social care etc etc. Run out an get your solar and renewable - they are future tax burdens. Got an electric car? Thats a 50% tax please haha ;-P

[@martinrobinson9061]

I think Spain is doing what every nation should be doing. Very proud of Spain 🇪🇸.

[@scootergrant8683]

Solar isn't entirely eco friendly. Might be a green energy source but we cannot properly recycle the panels when their 3 decade lifetime is up

[@ianhamilton3113]

@@scootergrant8683 "but we cannot properly recycle the panels" depends what you mean by properly. Paper can't be 100% recycled. Ink, glue, coatings and damaged fibres mean you get less paper out then you put in.

[@scootergrant8683]

@@ianhamilton3113 Most Solar panels I am aware of are whole units with integrated circuitry possessing many rarer earth minerals and metals. There is a great assumption that once an item can be retrieved it can be recycled but that isn't strictly true. These items are often bonded up in forms which are made to hold their form ad hard to tamper with. Or they are inherently hard to re-form into other structures because of the naure of their composition.

[@zanshibumi]

Most countries don't have neither the solar resource potential nor the vast plains and long rivers to build renewables in such scale. It's a laudable effort, investment, and success, and Spain muist be praised for it; but let's not believe any other European country has the orography nor the geographic position to have it so "easy".

[@scootergrant8683]

@@zanshibumi That's a very good point to raise. It seems there's a very black and white perception of renewable energy platforms. I do wonder if public members should rather view them as another part of the spectrum of electricity generation methods. To use an extended analogy, it's like tools in a toolshed. Most people need hammers and screwdrivers but some need saws and blowtorches. After all, what point is there giving a spanner to someone needing to put up a painting. Or instead giving a flat-head screwdriver to someone driving in a Philips-head. Flat-head will work but Phillips will achieve the job better.

[@mrakronyahoo]

Poor Spain. Too much green energy which means cheap power for the people. Lucky the Brits don’t have this problem.

[@user-fm6ns5nb4j]

Actually most of the reduction in energy costs for Spanish people are because of the emergency reduction in VAT on energy bills from 21% to 5%, and the reduction in "Energy Tax" from 5.1% to 0.5% - not because of solar and wind generation. The cheapest time for a consumer in Spain to buy electricity is in the early hours of the morning - not when the sun is shining at mid-day.

[@robertbest4398]

The British government problem is to much foreign privateers the likes of energy should be nationalised shocking the money these people are making great Britain know economic zone good luck reform party

[@xXAbdulBaqiXx]

😅

[@blastermanr6359]

​@@user-fm6ns5nb4jthat's because energy consumption hits rock bottom in the morning when everyone's just getting up

[@Djamonja]

@@user-fm6ns5nb4j What a load of bullshit. The price of electricity in Spain has dropped a huge amount because of renewable energy sources, taxes have nothing to do with it

[@FoodwaysDistribution]

"crisis "!!! where? what is it? homes have electricity and they are efficient is not a crisis

[@maximusasauluk7359]

I beg you and all these idiotic people in the comments to watch a five minute how-to-capitalism-101 video, please. If renewable energy stops being profitable, the rich people the comments seem to hate so much will stop investing, hence, renewable expansion will also stop where it is now, which is terrible because as you heard in the video, not even a third of the Spanish economy is currently electrified. We need a balance for efficient expansion, that's how it works. Capitalism 101. I find it strange batteries were not mentioned in the video, as they not only fix the problem but even give us clean electricity during the night.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Do you understand the concept of the "curtailment contract"?

[@airingcupboard]

Plenty of capacity. Well done Spain.

[@jamm8284]

Who has paid you for this 😂 I haven't heard anything that constitutes a "crisis" other than energy prices going down and people being more self sufficient. The only negative you stated was less investment in industry by institutional investment groups. The investment in the industry comes from millions of people buying solar panels, it doesn't have to come from corporations looking for a return on their investment. Less money spent on energy means more money to spend in the community instead of being sat in off shore accounts. Excess energy can disrupt the grid, but if the energy is produced and used at the source, it doesn't even go into the grid and excess energy can and is often exported to other nations. The economy going up doesn't mean energy usage going up. Just like more powerful microchips doesn't mean bigger microchips, you said it yourself in the next sentence, efficiencies and progression in technology and more sustainable living 🤦🏻‍♂️ All you need is batteries that have been around for more than long enough but seem to be intentionally held back in development and adoption. About 25 years ago I had rechargable batteries and they were in almost every shop. I can't remember the last time I saw them without looking at specialist shops.

[@markmercieca5569]

The dinosaur juice producers paid in advance for this hit piece....lol. What a bunch of muppets BBC has become....

[@scootergrant8683]

Well there are some concerns: - A greater decentralised generation capacity, if exported to the grid, creates greater variability in the network and can generate some funky effects in terms of power stability as you may not necessarily have a large and stable load supply. - Solar is a very new technology and, aside from lacking public awareness, is not ready for recycling yet. Much like wind power, many critical components require replacement entirely after 30 years. Given power is being generated in a non-central manner, waste has potentially jumped up tenfold. So we gotta get inventing fast.

[@ElonHusky]

​@@markmercieca5569 BP&sHell in a nutshell

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Energy prices are going up because all these renewables projects demanded curtailment contracts before they even got built. So during periods of high production when supply exceeds demand, customers have to PAY the solar companies for electricity they DIDN'T use.

[@ronaldewa]

❤

[@jkfdkjjd]

Way better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it

[@mcr2356]

Not if your trying to expand your production.

[@scootergrant8683]

Not entirely. Grid mechanics is complex. A surplus can cause funky effects down the line for grid engineers.

[@SmilingNinja]

​@@scootergrant8683 True, but Spain has the ability to store excess energy. So having excess renewable energy is far better than having too high demand and not enough.

[@raccoonious4038]

@@SmilingNinja in what way do they have ability to store excess energy?

[@SmilingNinja]

@@raccoonious4038 They have pumped-storage hydro, and molten-salt heat storage at a few of their solar thermal plants.

[@ninefoot9359]

What a nightmare. Too much green energy.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Too many curtailment contracts.

[@matthewbowen1794]

Sounds like a storage problem rather than a generation problem

[@pbfoley]

It's a non problem. Aka a solution.

[@longdang2681]

It's an oversupply of electricity problem. People want energy but don't want it in the form of expensive electricity. Running a gas cooker is half the price of running an electric cooker.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Why shouldn't the solar companies internalize the storage problem rather than export it to the grid? 🤔

[@gregorymalchuk272]

​@@longdang2681It's worse than that. These renewables companies have curtailment contracts which basically stipulate that all generated electricity MUST be bought by the grid operator/distribution company regardless of need. So you pay inflated prices even for electricity you DON'T use.

[@Hippo_Heli]

Can't they just sell it to other EU countries?

[@krac3x438]

yeah they can, it´s a fake story to lobby for oil and gas, bc that´s where the rich constantly make money, you sell solar to citizens and they can get it themselves.

[@CaneBTC]

Green energy is useless, it cant be exported as it lacks reactive power so it cant be transported far, and without huge battery cells it creates an unstable grid.

[@MULTIMAN-MUSIC]

France doesn’t like the idea, since they export a lot thanks to their nuclear power plants, so the french opposes allowing grid to cross the Pirineos mountains towards France.

[@lilpeanutish]

There needs to be infrastructure already existing that connects their energy grid to said other EU countries. That takes time and money in itself, and a commitment to continue supplying that electricity for years to actually make building that infrastructure worth it.

[@user-fm6ns5nb4j]

There's only one inter-connector with France (which is Europe's largest net exporter of energy), Morocco (who is looking for markets for it's green electricity) and Portugal - none of these connections are up to EU recommended levels of capacity - they're working on improving the connections but they're nowhere near close yet. The other problem is that there's a lack of high voltage cables running from the areas of green production to the foreign markets - outside of the main urban areas even the basic grid is creaking with age (there's a queue of projects awaiting connection). And Spain was very late in installing infrastructure for EVs - they are way behind both their own targets and France and Germany, due to the previous PP government being in the pocket of the two largest electricity companies (Endesa and Iberdrola). And the benefits of the excess power hasn't really passed down to the consumer - you would think that if there's such an excess of green electricity that the retail price during the day would fall - but the consumer tariffs in Spain don't reflect that. The cheapest time of the day for a consumer to buy electricity is to consume in the early hours of the morning, not when the sun is shining.

[@handlesshouldntdefaulttonames]

OH NO, WE'VE REACHED SUSTAINABILITY.

[@YWang-vl2zh]

Alternative title: Spaniards humble brag that they have too much sun

[@chriser555]

Heaven forbid consumers benefit and investors lose out 🙄

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Consumers pay higher prices due to curtailment contracting.

[@tedforsstromjacobsson4160]

The headline makes it sound like a severe and ominous situation. All that’s happening is that they’re doing what needs to be done and some companies are temporarily not raking in huge profits. That’s not alarming. That’s just reality. Please stop making up issues.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

The private equity solar companies are taking in profits while consumers pay high prices due to curtailment phenomenon.

[@resimarc]

‘Crisis in the industry’ = rich people profiting from poor people that need electricity won’t be earning millions from it anymore 🤷‍♂️

[@devanman7920]

absolutely spot on

[@gregorymalchuk272]

So private equity wind and solar millionaires?

[@robinhood4640]

That sounds about right. A few hundred people want to make money, so millions of people must pay the consequences of them earning that money. We will know we have made a step in the right direction, when we stop looking up to wealthy people, because they are successful businessmen. We will see them for the parasites they really are. If having a bigger yacht is more important than the well being of hundreds of thousands of people, you need psychiatric help, not a bigger yacht.

[@markmercieca5569]

What has the BBC become....even spinning a positive move as negative. Battery Tech and bilateral EV car charging will solve all the problems.

[@hiranga]

note the bizarre camera angles to induce anxiety! - they're insane trash! This is fantastic for Spain! THEY'RE WINNING!

[@adrianbaron4994]

The BBC is terrified of the Tories as numbskulls like Dorries , Gove and Mogg used to regularly threaten them that the license fee would be abolished or reduced. As a result the parachuted-in - senior suits, virtually all of them white male middle aged Tories, have sent a quiet message down the line...don't talk about the utter disaster of Brexit, and quietly praise the Tories whilst disparaging Labour, LibDems, Greens etc.....or else. The downtrodden BBC hacks don't have to be paid off. They have morgages and families so the threat of being axed in yet another " restructuring" is enough. As a result, if private enterprise ( namely Etonian chums, donors and other Tory insiders ) cant make big money out of something then it has to be wrong and bad for the country. The same applies to other countries of course, despite the shrieking evidence that what is going on is good for the environment and the people. These shady background figures ,who have looted the British economy for 14 years ,arent big on green energy but are " on the side of the motorist" and the fossil fuel producers, and so that's who the BBC hacks have to puff up.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Curtailment contracts aren't positive. It means you pay renewables prices for electricity you DON'T use.

[@kiae-nirodiariesencore4270]

That's mainstream media for you. Words like 'fears' and 'crisis' stimulate more clicks. Here in France there are 1.1 million EVs on the roads and growing fast...during 2022 600,000 French homes replaced gas or oil heating with heat pumps but strangely electricity demand has not risen. The explanation for this is that there has been a massive increase in private solar, some coming from domestic homes but mostly from companies who are generating and using their own power on site. This results in lower demand from the public grid. In my case I ditched fossil fuels in 2019, got myself an EV and put solar panels on my roof. So my €2,000 a year spending on petrol has been replaced with self generated electricity. Spain needs to boost EV sales to soak up all that extra supply.

[@tedcopple101]

How on earth are you framing this as negative? Oh no some executives abd oligarchs may be feeling a bit of a squeeze, how sad. Well done Spain!

[@stuartleslie6169]

Energy prices skyrocket: "That's just the way it is sweaty, suck it up" Energy prices threaten to fall; "This is a crisis that we all need to be terrified about"

[@gregorymalchuk272]

You don't understand the idea of power curtailment pricing. Electricity prices go UP under these conditions.

[@tylersculpts]

If you’re looking for an industry to use all that cheap electricity look no further than desalination! It opens avenues for more agricultural industry and gobbles power like almost nothing else.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Liberals claim we can't do that because of brine. I guess they've never heard of brine outfalls.

[@chrisvalford]

Yep, the Catalan Government are looking into this as they have water shortages here. I think there is already a plant just outside of Barcelona which they want to expand.

[@globalwillh]

“However despite the successful move towards green energy sources, electricity consumption has been dropping.” What?! Crisis?! Isn’t this the point of green energy?!

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Not when it's by demand destruction.

[@bartvanhoof6278]

@@gregorymalchuk272 demand "destruction" due to households being more energy efficient (i.e., better appliances etc.) but that can be massively offset if we'd have more BEVs driving around here.

[@joseantoniodepilares6509]

Spaniard here. I installed solar panels in my home 3 years ago. My average yearly consuntion went from 3'5 MWh/year to 2'2 MWh/year; yet I make the same use of appliances. It's not that energy consumption has been dropping, it's that millions of homes in Spain have reduced their grid dependency by a third.

[@blackmage4100]

The headline is rubbish. Too much energy? Lower the prices for consumers to increase demand!!

[@edc1569]

Assume you’ll run home and put the tumble dryer on in the middle of the day then, how much would they have to pay you?

[@gregorymalchuk272]

None of you understand curtailment power pricing. You pay MORE under these high supply/low demand conditions.

[@blackmage4100]

@@gregorymalchuk272 You might want to read up on what is monopoly pricing and effect of energy markets.

[@stojanhansen3782]

Oh no we have too much clean energy! That’s a good problem to have. We need to adjust our grids to accommodate renewables and shift our grids accordingly and we will be fine

[@gregorymalchuk272]

"We just need to pay a trillion dollars to make the Rube Goldberg machine pretend to work."

[@ruesmale6940]

Oh dear poor energy companies. My heart bleeds for them.

[@GIBBO4182]

Good! More supply than demand should mean lower prices for us!

[@tashaware6819]

Not enough profit for someone 😂

[@ziptink1710]

The absolute absurdity of this title… The absolute absurdity of our economic system…

[@asadmalik2464]

Just export the energy to other countries

[@mcr2356]

I don't think it's as easy as that.

[@andrewsmith3613]

It is difficult to store and transfer energy generated by wind and solar.

[@cyberfunk3793]

​@@andrewsmith3613battery tech is improving and will probably solve that issue in the future. All kinds of new innovations like some wood pulp based batteries from Finland etc.

[@alexanderdeburdegala4609]

@@andrewsmith3613 not true, it's not harder than storing and transferring electricity generated in any fashion.

[@user-fm6ns5nb4j]

@@andrewsmith3613 It's no more difficult to store than any other electricity. The main problem Spain has is that it has insufficient inter-connectors to France and hasn't built out the infrastructure (UHDC cables) to transport the electricity from where it's generated. This is true for much of the infrastructure within the country - they are way behind France and Germany in installing EV charging points, for instance. And if you leave the urban areas the grid is creaking with age. The previous PP government was in the pocket of Endesa and Iberdrola (both routinely supplied sinecure jobs to PP ministers upon retirement) and actively discouraged green energy - that's why the chap interviewed mentioned the sea change once the PSOE came to power.

[@kennethclasen2175]

As someone who studies sustainability, this is essentially the goal of the Paris Accords and ambitious green policy programs. Use energy more efficiently while making it cheaper for consumers. Only people worried are utilities that have to maintain infrastructure without the revenues from an increase in the demand. Probably need some modern infrastructure improvements but this should be celebrated.

[@thomHD]

BBC news can be too similar to the Daily Mail or the Daily Express at times in that things can only ever be reported as crisis or disaster. There's not always this need to be so dour or scary.

[@Just_another_Euro_dude]

Or DW! The biggest negative propaganda channel regarding EU i ever seen.

[@Redmist.65]

Energy storage is the issue now with Spain. Sand heat storage would be a great solution for these applications.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Why not make the wind and solar companies internalize the cost of storage rather than export it onto the grid, destabilizing it?

[@andymcdonald8922]

Im failing to see the crisis... 🤔

[@johnbridger5629]

I cannot see a real problem here. There is a Spain - France interlink which could be added to so the Spanish could export more electricity if they have a surplus. This sounds like another of the 'scare story' news items so beloved of the mainstream media. Shows how far the BBC have fallen. I would be far more impressed by a story on the opportunities this increase in renewables brings.

[@anthonymcgowan3398]

Every penny not going to the oil giants is a win.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Because all the money is going to solar private equity.

[@coreyhunt]

The tone and the headline for this story was like it was written by power producers.

[@maxstockdale7328]

Really scraping the barrel to find ways to make renewable energy look bad.

[@kurtzwar729]

Use any "surplus" electricity to produce green hydrogen. Germany is doing this in Mauritania. H2 can be used for cars, ships, business with no CO2 produced. Bravo Spain,

[@adrianbaron4994]

I live on a Caribbean island, St. Vincent, and today I have five guys here installing a 4.95 GW solar system for my home. The installers have told me that the monopoly state - owned supplier here, VINLEC, has to certify any solar system before it can be connected to the grid. Although my roofs have the capacity for far more panels, I am limited to a maximum solar generating capacity of 5.0 GW. This is because VINLEC ( who generate electricity almost entirely using imported diesel oil from Venezuela) have cut the limit from 10.0 GW to 5.0 GW because with almost year-round sunshine, and temperatures rarely below 26C during the day, their electricity sales and so their profitability would plummet if domestic and corporate systems produced 10.0 GW and as they are the unofficial cash cow for the government, this isn't acceptable. Insane.

[@glyndavies5479]

Why is this a problem?

[@bg2244]

If companies do not have a return on investment, it is bankruptcy; companies have planned consumption and a market price, if the reality is lower, it means less money coming in.

[@portalkey5283]

What a misleading title

[@joshbarkley4403]

oh no, not cheap energy, how will the energy ceo buy their 5th mansion now :(

[@raulrivera960]

Like the other comments here, why is it being presented as a crisis? Abundant renewable energy and lower energy demand through DSM is a great opportunity for energy companies to export.

[@amolghimire5776]

Not everything has to be viewed through lenses of economy.

[@SlavTiger]

And even then it can be stored as hydrogen via hydrolysis and sold to other nations

[@tedforsstromjacobsson4160]

Agreed! But I’m pretty sure we mean *capitalist economy.

[@crimsonsunbear5732]

The issue that people have is that the cost of energy is still too high for many in Spain, people don't turn on AC units even if it's 47c outside due to the cost and try to make by with just fans. Energy in Spain is heavily monopolized and still high cost considering supply and demand. While it may look affordable to other countries, and Spain's wages have increased, they are still behind in earning compared to many other countries and rent still takes a significant portion of the budget. So yeah, we use less cause we can't afford it...

[@Just_another_Euro_dude]

We in Montenegro are exporters of the electricity cause our market is small and we got some big dams in northern Montenegro. Our monthly electricity bills are like 30-60 euros, depending what the month is. We use our ACs LITERALLY non stop if we wish too. Central and southern Montenegro can get similar summer temps like some parts of Spain. 35C to 40C and above 40C. Our record is 44,7C. Really surprised that the situation is such that you can't even use your AC?...Sometimes it could be question of life and death, for elderly, kids and people with some chronic illness, not to be able to use your AC. I am more and more thankfull that our electricity is so cheap. God knows other things are expensive here, for our salaries that are similar to southern Italy or Greece.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

​​@@Just_another_Euro_dudeWhat is the electricity cost per kWh? And how does your country generate electricity?

[@leehyunsong7001]

I dont understand , what crisis here? Except cheaper energy. Hurting the investors wallet?

[@flannel2699]

Weird! If all this cleaner renewable energy was publicly owned, it would be a win-win situation. Lower costs, lower bills, less risk, less pollution, lower tax.. come on people,sort it out!

[@soothsayer5743]

In South Africa during the day we reportedly use excess electricity to “recharge” our pumped storage capacity that we use for peak demand times in the evening when there is no solar electricity.

[@joelboy19]

This is beyond ridiculous, testament to where we are as a nation.

[@damspachercomedy]

I'm so sick of corporate media caring more about bad corporations fading away then they do about human lives being better and the planet being healthier.

[@docwatson1134]

The only actual "problem" here is logistics. Getting all large energy consumers to schedule peak use during times of peak supply. Creating storage to move midafternoon power into evenings. And enhancements to the grid to let power be sent where it is needed most, to help balance loads and supply. It's humans planning ahead, finding financing, and working together. That is the real challenge.

[@Intentspunk19]

Insane that this is a problem.

[@jim23mac]

How on Earth did the BBC get this so wrong?

[@Robotron5000Deluxe]

It's only a crisis for the energy company shareholders and the millionaire CEO's. It's great for ordinary people, it will drive prices down.

[@jmurphy69420]

The whole point of renewable energy is that it's a cheap, low cost form of energy. An entire facet of 'sustainability' revolves around consuming less. Surely there is a Government policy that addresses a plan for when we meet our green energy targets, such as removing the need for private investor incentives or demarketization of renewable energy

[@gregorymalchuk272]

The renewables companies don't care. The curtailment clauses in their contracts mean they can never lose money during times of high supply/low demand. Consumers are forced to pay for electricity they DON'T use.

[@joseantoniodepilares6509]

Spaniard here. I installed solar panels in my home back in 2021. My average yearly consumption went from 3'5 MWh/year to 2'2 MWh/year; yet I make the same use of appliances. It's not that energy consumption has been dropping, it's that millions of homes in Spain have reduced their grid dependency by a third. When you add up the numbers of national consumption, yes, it has gone down. But that is because of a change in how energy is generated and consumed; and measured. The next step is going to be installing micro wind turbines at home, that's bound to half my 2020 numbers.

[@cameronf3343]

2:07 “while good for consumers-“ shut up after that, you’ve said everything necessary.

[@17addidas]

Not mentioned.. is exporting electricity to neighb. Countries. France often sends x grid excess electricity from nuclear to its neighbours

[@robertpatrick3350]

This is not a renewables problem it’s an issue relating of adaptation as industries and markets fail to keep pace

[@tomwhite7983]

Surely for the Industry, you just start... exporting?

[@phunanon]

"On the sun soaked plains of central Spain solar farms are a common sight" Good alliteration :)

[@TheBHAitken]

So?

[@086guti]

They should talk also about the previous government, that was 'taxing' the sun! To prevent people going for greener energy

[@chrisvalford]

Yes, I couldn't believe they were taxing storage batteries until recently. It was a shame as a lot of European countries lost out on the Solar revolution by protecting their fossil fuel suppliers.

[@akbarali-fh4rb]

I was think BBC will blame Chains overcapacity.

[@julianshepherd2038]

Connect it to the European grid and sell it to the Germans

[@clivepereira123]

lol is this headline a joke

[@farhazpatel929]

Use the excess energy to create green hydrogen - turn it into a major producer for green hydrogen which could become the fuel of the future.

[@VIVABELLAVIVAHERMANO]

Can they not sell their electricity abroad?

[@souravjaiswal-jr4bj]

Excess supply is there because of lack of battery storage. Gas fired power plants are still needed for windless nights. Using those power plants as just backups is insanely expensive. This price is not taken into account when they claim solar and wind is cheaper than ff powerplants.

[@jacmar44]

I'm massively for the idea of feeding periodic renewable excess generation into hydrolysis for green hydrogen and then into synthetic fuels.

[@AdrianNelson1507]

Why is oversupply a crisis? Legit question

[@willienelsongonzalez4609]

That excess energy can be sold to other nearby countries. The energy companies know this but don’t like “sharing” excess energy.

[@seanek9]

So in reality personal energy generation at home is so good in Spain big companies are loosing money. The horror!

[@denism66]

Surely they could use the surplus to produce hydrogen as a form of energy storage

[@user-ol6rd7pl5t]

Well done Spain, make every home & business energy self-sufficient.

[@gfooo6112]

Hydrogen! Store the excess energy as green hydrogen. This can be charged for or exported as required.

[@apex9806]

Same problem in Pakistan. Government decided to put a tax on Solar, so much so that's it not worth making renewable energy anymore.

[@paulcostello6329]

Every home installation should have a battery back up to store the energy to provide some stability no point dumping on the network when not needed

[@ChinaSocietyNews]

Why is electricity so expensive in Italy?

[@AlexdaCunha]

Excess of green energy production can bring industries that are energy hungry from places where they cause more impact. It is a good thing for Spain

[@Vertignasse82]

So the oil lobbying will proceed to make renewables unaffordable and/or inaccessible in order to survive?

[@williammccormick2894]

Oh no it's a minor inconvenience for rich investors! We have to do something!

[@user-nj4xw7lr9r]

OT: Benny Hill considered funnier than Monty Python by two TV stations --WOR and WLVI!

[@Makes_me_wonder]

What is bad for big corporations is almost always good for everyone else.

[@orionstretch]

How's this a crisis? I'll have to check Aljazeera for the real news on the topic.

[@skrich9690]

If today was 1st April I'd call this a clever bit of satire......

[@jameschou888]

How about selling excess energy to the neighbouring countries?

[@maxkick7656]

Less energy consumption? GREAT!!

[@RealUlrichLeland]

If they get abundant cheap clean energy then they can use it for industries thay would otherwise be unprofitable. Iceland has a massive aluminium refining industry and a growing green hydrogen production industry just because they have loads of geothermal power to spare. They could also just build more cables and grid scale energy storage to make it easier to export to other countries.

[@DarkLordJabba]

how about nationalizing energy generation then, so renewable energy is not dependent on "investors"

[@user-gw3hq4mb7m]

some of the best news we’ve heard in decades and you’re calling it a crisis ?

[@acarmagan]

why doesn't spain sell the excess electricity to other places in europe?

[@m1nfy]

The only crisis is a drop in Fossil fuel company profits!

[@gergohavasi7902]

Why is it a crisis?? Why don't they just sell the excess energy?

[@bluecedar7914]

So a challenge rather than a crisis. 😄 More electrification, storage, possibly additional interconnection north and if worse comes to worse, shock horror, peak curtailment.

[@TheGuggo]

It’s hard for me to understand what exactly the crisis is. Maybe BBC had to fill 4 minutes of broadcasting with something and that’s what they came up with.

[@DangerAngelous]

So the problem is there is more renewable energy than can be used in Spain? How about just send the excess to the next country along? Why is this considered a problem???

[@stewlew8449]

How about using the extra power for desalination plants. The country keeps having droughts and access to fresh water is dropping

[@1TimBaugh]

Unbelievable. Increased green energy and reduced demand is spun as a problem?

[@user-nc2qj2jc5q]

The CEO s may not get there overblouted bonus pay.yikes😂

[@cherray50]

We and the planet are dying and this piece is concerned about profits of corporations?!!?!?

[@lesliecarter4295]

Solar and Wind are not a flexible energy source…?