Big numbers, big opportunities: Spain now has over 1.7 million installed heat pumps (2024) and the market is growing fast with nearly 185,000 units sold in 2022 alone.
At the same time, this week has shown us just how fragile our energy infrastructure can be: 🇪🇸 Spain experienced a total power blackout, with major cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, and Seville hit hard. Parts of Portugal, France, and Andorra were also affected. Most electricity was restored by the the day next days in both Spain and Portugal, but left many citizens have still questions on what caused the blackout.
April 28, around 12:30 p.m. local time, Spain experienced a sudden and severe power loss, with approximately 15 gigawatts—about 60% of national demand—dropping off the grid. This disruption cascaded through the Iberian Peninsula, halting trains, disabling payment systems, and leaving millions without electricity. The outage lasted over 30 hours in some areas and extended into southern France.
Spain's TSO, Red Eléctrica, confirmed a "zero" event on the national grid, noting that the causes are still under investigation while emergency measures are underway to restore supply.This major disruption underscores why flexibility, smart load management, and decentralized solutions are more critical than ever. Not everything is yet investigated and the authorities have launched investigations against Red Eléctrica and Endesa post-blackout. Leading theories include a combination of high renewable energy output, particularly from solar farms, and insufficient grid infrastructure to handle such loads; and significant "disconnection events" in the southwestern part of the country.
Electricity demand forecasted (red) vs realised (yellow) in MW in Spain on April 29, 2025. Figure from Demanda.Spain’s meteorological agency, AEMET, temperatures across the country were between 15-21°C around the time of the power outage. By the end of the day, highs had climbed to between 27°C and 30°C. That was higher than usual: In April, temperatures in Spain average around 18°C in central and northern regions and about 21°C in the south.
Big oportunities with demand side management
With heating and cooling making up 60% of Spain’s residential energy use, and over 1.7 million heat pumps now installed, we see a huge opportunity:
- Shift and optimize heat pump usage during grid stress
- Reduce peak demand
- Support faster recovery after outages
- Help households save on energy bills
- Cut carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to gas boilers
Using real-time electricity prices, AI, and smart weather forecasting, we can empower homes to automatically adjust and support the grid when it's needed most - like this week in Spain.
The future of energy is flexible, digital, and decentralized. Let's work together to make it happen. 🚀
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