The blackout that left millions without electricity last Monday not only halted operations across key industries, but also exposed a structural vulnerability: the lack of energy storage and backup capacity in the system.

According to data shared by SotySolar, demand for solar batteries and hybrid systems rose by 450% in the first eight hours after the outage, compared to a typical Monday.

This abrupt spike in enquiries was also observed by Mars Renewable Iberia. Andrés Pinilla Antón, Head of BESS Sales for Iberia, confirms the company was overwhelmed with calls from commercial and industrial sectors.

“Many industries are now considering how to shield themselves from events like this, which — although rare — can occur and lead to significant losses,” the executive tells Strategic Energy Europe.

Pinilla estimates that the economic damage caused by the blackout ranges between €1 billion and €1.3 billion, with particularly severe impacts on sectors such as meat processing, refrigeration and dairy.

“Any industry that relies on maintaining stable temperatures to protect raw materials or finished products faced serious consequences,” he points out.

In response to the incident, many companies have begun reassessing their operational continuity strategies.

“Even if the payback periods aren’t immediately attractive, if they had batteries with backup mode, they could have continued production or at least reduced their losses,” Pinilla explains.

At SotySolar, Alba Alonso, Marketing Director, notes that users are actively seeking ways to reduce their reliance on the traditional grid. 

“Situations like this only reinforce the urgency of moving towards more autonomous and sustainable models,” she affirms.

The response did not come solely from the industrial segment. According to Alonso, the surge in interest mainly came from individual users.
“Until now, we mostly saw these kinds of solutions in the Canary and Balearic Islands, where power cuts are more common. But now we’re receiving enquiries from across mainland Spain,” she says.

Pinilla also emphasises that today’s technology is already capable of providing industrial-grade solutions to handle outages.

“It’s not just residential batteries — industrial ones can now operate in backup or soft mode. From the moment the grid fails until it comes back, the battery steps in and ensures the process continues without disruption,” he states.

In his view, the recent blackout in Iberia could mark a turning point that accelerates the deployment of storage systems.
“I truly believe this could be a major boost for behind-the-meter batteries,” says the advisor.

Could it happen again?

Alongside the market’s reaction, questions remain over the causes of the outage. Although no official explanation has been released, former Red Eléctrica president Luis Atienza recently told El Mundo that “everything in the electricity sector is recorded,” and stressed that the sequence of events leading to the collapse will eventually be known.

Atienza warned that the Spanish power system must integrate more firm backup capacity to prevent disruptions from cascading into widespread outages.

“The system must be sufficiently robust and resilient to absorb disturbances without triggering a general blackout,” he emphasised.

He also pointed to the system’s structural weaknesses: limited interconnection with France, a lack of adequate tools for voltage control, and the need to complement renewable expansion with technologies that provide grid stability.

“Renewables are unbeatable when there’s sun and wind, but they don’t provide services like inertia or voltage regulation,” he added.

In this context, energy storage is becoming a central pillar of resilience. For companies and households alike, the message is clear: generating energy is no longer enough — it must also be stored and autonomously managed to withstand unexpected events.