18. August 2025

When the grid comes under pressure: resilience through interconnectivity and decentralization

The large-scale power outage in Spain and Portugal at the end of April 2025 attracted attention throughout Europe. Fifteen gigawatts of generating capacity were lost, around 60% of the current supply collapsed, and millions of people were left without electricity. But while the acute effects were felt in southern Europe, the key question for many other countries is: What does such an event mean for their own security of supply, and what lessons can be learned from it? What currently protects us from similar scenarios? What role does our infrastructure play, and how important is decentralization?

What happened in Spain and why it affects us

The incident happened in just a few seconds. According to the Spanish daily newspaper El País, the decisive moment occurred within a five-second window, and then it was already too late: frequency deviations spread, power plants were automatically shut down, and the grid collapsed regionally.

These frequency changes were also measurable in Switzerland, but without any interruptions in supply. A success for the system? Yes, but also an indication of how sensitive and cross-border the European power grid is today.

Why Switzerland was spared

According to transmission system operator Swissgrid, the Swiss power grid is one of the most stable in Europe. The reasons for this are:

a robust grid infrastructure
comprehensive monitoring and protection systems
and close integration into the continental European grid.

With over 41 connections to other countries, Switzerland is particularly well equipped to cushion fluctuations in the power grid. This interconnectivity is a safety net, but it also opens up potential risks from outside. After all, those who are closely connected can help, but they can also be affected if something goes wrong elsewhere.

Why a blackout in Switzerland is still unlikely

A complete nationwide power outage, such as occurred in Spain and Portugal, is considered very unlikely in Switzerland. This is not only due to technical precautions, but also to the systemic integration into the European grid.

Swissgrid is prepared: defined emergency plans exist for a wide variety of scenarios. In addition, there is real-time monitoring and the ability to intervene quickly. Even during the most recent incident, there were only minor, local power outages in Switzerland, for example in Bern and Zurich, but no widespread blackout.

Spain, on the other hand, is only connected to the European grid in a few places, mainly to France. This limited interconnectivity made it more difficult to compensate for the imbalance

The underestimated danger: What happens after 48 or 72 hours

Short-term power outages are usually manageable. The situation becomes critical when a blackout lasts longer than 48 or 72 hours. By then, many emergency supplies, fuel reserves, and communication channels will have been exhausted. The economic and social consequences would be considerable.

This is precisely why it is crucial to focus not only on short-term resilience, but also on a systemic, forward-looking energy supply system.

Decentralization as the key to resilience

One of the lessons learned from the event on the Iberian Peninsula is the importance of decentralized structures in the energy system. Decentralized generation units, flexible consumers, and storage systems offer the possibility of responding quickly and specifically to grid situations. They help to smooth out peak loads, cushion frequency deviations, and bridge regional bottlenecks, independently of large central power plants.

However, for this potential to benefit the system, more is needed than just its existence. Intelligent control, networked platforms, and integration into higher-level processes are required. Only then can a flexible, stable, and responsive overall system be formed from a large number of individual plants.

From risk to active system responsibility

The increasing complexity of our energy system is creating new challenges: security of supply is no longer achieved solely through central reserve capacities, but increasingly through the coordinated interaction of various players. Companies, municipalities, and plant operators now have the opportunity and responsibility to contribute their flexibility in a way that benefits the system.

This is exactly where VGT comes in: With our platform, we bundle and control decentralized flexibility in real time. This enables an active contribution to grid stability. Whether as a controllable consumer, local storage facility, or generation unit: What used to be static is now dynamic. As part of a virtual power plant, they act like a conventional plant, but are more sustainable and responsive.

This interaction is a necessary response to the reality of a volatile energy market characterized by weather-dependent generation, rising electricity demand, and growing coordination efforts.

Interconnectivity is a commitment

The incident in southern Europe clearly shows that security of supply does not end at national borders. Switzerland is highly integrated into the European electricity system with over 41 cross-border connections. This is an enormous advantage: frequency fluctuations and load changes can be better absorbed by this grid coupling, as the recent incident has impressively demonstrated.

But this integration also means that if a failure cannot be compensated for elsewhere, Switzerland must also be prepared, both technically and organizationally.

Infrastructure, digital control, and decentralized participation together form the basis for a resilient energy system. Not in competition with interconnectivity, but as a stable complement to it.

Sources

Customer

Platform

Flexibility

Management

About

us

Blog