A Wake-Up Call for Power Grid Resilience
➡️ On April 28, just as the Iberian Peninsula was about to experience a significant power blackout, the SAFEPOWER consortium held its 1st General Assembly Meeting — reviewing progress, aligning technical milestones, and advancing solutions to make our power systems more resilient.
➡️The timing was no coincidence—it was a powerful reminder of the critical importance of our mission.
The blackout exposed once again how vulnerable our energy infrastructure can be in the face of increasing demand, extreme weather events, and ageing systems. In this context, the SAFEPOWER project is not just relevant – it’s essential.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹?
- 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
SAFEPOWER is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence for Condition & Health Monitoring (C&HM) of power systems. This allows operators to anticipate and prevent failures before they cascade into major outages, like the one we narrowly avoided. - 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆
By integrating wide bandgap semiconductors (such as gallium oxide and silicon carbide), SAFEPOWER enables converters that are highly efficient and resilient under stress, ensuring more stable and recoverable power systems. - 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀
Advanced MVDC technology helps balance variable renewable sources like wind and solar, which are critical for Spain’s and Europe’s green transition. - 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
The project supports the move toward decentralised energy systems, reducing reliance on vulnerable Central Grids and increasing local energy autonomy.
The blackout was not just a technical failure—it was a wake-up call.
➡️As we discussed during our General Assembly, Europe cannot afford to wait. The energy systems of tomorrow must be predictive, intelligent, and built for resilience. SAFEPOWER is ready to lead that transformation.
