Spain and Portugal Power Outages Not Linked to Solar Activity
General News
Yesterday
3 minute read.
A major power outage affected large parts of Spain and Portugal on Monday, plunging much of the Iberian Peninsula into darkness and disrupting transportation and communication systems. The cause of the blackout remains unknown, and an official investigation is currently underway.
According to the Spanish electricity grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE), electricity had been restored to more than 90% of mainland Spain by early Tuesday morning.
The outage, which began in the afternoon, left passengers stranded in lifts and trains, causing widespread disruption. Although no official cause has been confirmed, online speculation has linked the blackout to solar activity, claims that experts have categorically denied.
Despite the absence of supporting evidence, posts on social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, have shared unverified and inaccurate claims about solar flares being responsible for the incident.
“The Authorities are blaming the mass power outages in Spain, Portugal & France on a Solar Flare”, stated one post on X, viewed more than 1.7 million times. However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said the cause is currently unknown and urged the public not to speculate.
The social media post included a video showing solar activity recorded by NASA’s Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). The clip, which appears to depict a significant solar eruption, is dated 10 May 2024, nearly a year prior to the blackout.
Multiple similar claims were also published on Facebook, including one post viewed more than 17,000 times. Some posts allege a cover-up or attempt to blame the outage on the transition to sustainable energy sources.
“The solar flare excuse is a lie”, said an American commentator on X. “Spain outage is why green energy doesn’t work.”
However, these claims are unfounded. According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which continuously monitors solar activity, no significant solar flares or geomagnetic storms were recorded in the days preceding the outage.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center reported no notable increases in proton flux, which would indicate a solar storm. Readings remained well below the 10 MeV warning threshold for minor solar activity. The only recent alerts, issued on Sunday, were limited to potential minor effects on satellite systems.
The suggestion that a solar flare caused the Iberian blackout is inconsistent with available scientific data. While powerful solar storms have historically disrupted electrical systems, as in the 1859 Carrington Event, there is no evidence to suggest a similar event occurred this week.
Alternative theories, including cyberattacks, weather fluctuations, and human error, have also circulated but have been dismissed by authorities in the absence of supporting evidence.
An official explanation has yet to be provided.
According to the Spanish electricity grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE), electricity had been restored to more than 90% of mainland Spain by early Tuesday morning.
The outage, which began in the afternoon, left passengers stranded in lifts and trains, causing widespread disruption. Although no official cause has been confirmed, online speculation has linked the blackout to solar activity, claims that experts have categorically denied.
Despite the absence of supporting evidence, posts on social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, have shared unverified and inaccurate claims about solar flares being responsible for the incident.
“The Authorities are blaming the mass power outages in Spain, Portugal & France on a Solar Flare”, stated one post on X, viewed more than 1.7 million times. However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said the cause is currently unknown and urged the public not to speculate.
The social media post included a video showing solar activity recorded by NASA’s Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). The clip, which appears to depict a significant solar eruption, is dated 10 May 2024, nearly a year prior to the blackout.
Multiple similar claims were also published on Facebook, including one post viewed more than 17,000 times. Some posts allege a cover-up or attempt to blame the outage on the transition to sustainable energy sources.
“The solar flare excuse is a lie”, said an American commentator on X. “Spain outage is why green energy doesn’t work.”
However, these claims are unfounded. According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which continuously monitors solar activity, no significant solar flares or geomagnetic storms were recorded in the days preceding the outage.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center reported no notable increases in proton flux, which would indicate a solar storm. Readings remained well below the 10 MeV warning threshold for minor solar activity. The only recent alerts, issued on Sunday, were limited to potential minor effects on satellite systems.
The suggestion that a solar flare caused the Iberian blackout is inconsistent with available scientific data. While powerful solar storms have historically disrupted electrical systems, as in the 1859 Carrington Event, there is no evidence to suggest a similar event occurred this week.
Alternative theories, including cyberattacks, weather fluctuations, and human error, have also circulated but have been dismissed by authorities in the absence of supporting evidence.
An official explanation has yet to be provided.
