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The electricity grid has to cope with heavy demands that have called its reliability into question, as demonstrated earlier this year by the blackout that left the Iberian Peninsula without power for several hours. This serious incident, which is still under investigation, was an extreme reflection of the typical issues affecting the electricity grid every day, including disturbances such as micro-cuts, harmonics, frequency fluctuations, and various voltage effects: undervoltages, voltage dips, transient and permanent overvoltages, and voltage oscillations.

This long list of disturbances is further complicated by the significant integration of electricity generated from renewable sources, especially solar and wind power. In 2024, nearly 57% of all electricity generated in Spain came from renewable sources like wind, solar, and hydro power, representing a 10% increase compared to the previous year. While this is a welcome trend in terms of reducing carbon emissions, we must also recognise that it presents certain challenges.

Mission: stabilisation

Unlike other sources that feed the electricity grid, such as combined cycle thermal power plants or nuclear energy, renewable sources such as solar and wind power are characterised by marked variability and instability depending on weather conditions and by their lack of inertia, a key factor for grid stability.

Stability: a term that becomes increasingly important in the face of variations in the loads connected to the grid, distribution failures, disturbances generated by the loads themselves, voltage drops between lines and weather-related problems. These factors, when combined, can seriously undermine the stability of the electricity supply, which is why voltage stabilisers need to be incorporated into the grid.

The primary purpose of a stabiliser of this type is to protect equipment that is sensitive to voltage fluctuations in the power supply. It also protects against drops in total power line consumption, which can cause an increase in voltage and, in turn, increase consumption in the connected equipment. The stabiliser eliminates this excess consumption, resulting in financial savings and improved reliability.

Voltage stabilisers play an even more important role in critical loads where continuity is essential, especially when they involve added complexities such as high start-up current peaks or high power ratings. Correcting the voltage as soon as the slightest deviation from the specified values is detected ensures the continuity and quality of the power supply, with the resulting advantages in terms of maintaining uptime, enhanced safety due to the avoidance of catastrophic failures, and reduced costs due to the prevention of breakdowns and the consequent extended service life of connected devices.

Following the widespread power outage in the Iberian Peninsula, there has been intense debate about the necessity of upgrading the electricity grid, especially in light of the rapid rise of renewable energy sources like solar power. While battery storage could be a potential solution, it is currently only available on a small scale, is very expensive, and does not address the underlying issue of instability.  Therefore, the most viable, realistic, and cost-effective solution available at this time is the use of voltage stabilisers, which have been proven to be effective.