Spain and Portugal just learned a hard lesson about what happens when you rely on centralized power infrastructure in a world that demands energy democratization and resilience.
On April 28, much of the Iberian Peninsula went dark. One moment, cities like Madrid, Barcelona, and Lisbon were buzzing. The next, the lights were out, communications collapsed, public transit froze, and basic infrastructure ground to a halt. No attack, no cyber breach—just “anomalous oscillations” in high-voltage transmission lines. That’s how fragile the modern grid is.
And yet, energy experts continue to argue about how to respond. Still holding panel discussions. Still publishing white papers. Enough. The solution already exists. Brenmiller Energy (NASDAQ: BNRG) has developed thermal energy storage (TES) systems that could have halted this chain reaction. And the message we see sent along with its technology—stop the redundant rhetoric and start deploying.
A Centralized Grid Creates Systemic Risk
Here’s the point: the blackout wasn’t caused by a lack of power generation—it was grid fragility. Centralized electricity flowing through massive transmission lines creates a single point of failure. Energy experts have known this for years, and yet governments keep doubling down, pouring public funds into bigger, longer grids with zero contingency when they go down.
Meanwhile, Brenmiller Energy has spent over a decade perfecting the answer: modular, crushed-rock thermal energy storage that doesn’t just support the grid—it democratizes and fortifies it.
Brenmiller’s bGen system doesn’t store electricity—it stores heat. Using crushed rocks, it stores industrial heat at extremely high temperatures that can be retained for days, weeks, or longer. When needed, that heat is released as steam or hot air to drive turbines or fuel industrial processes. No rare earths. No toxic materials. No tedious maintenance or degradation. This isn’t a battery with a shelf life—it’s a rock-solid system that lasts over 20 years. Clean, stable, and always ready when the grid isn’t.
What if bGen Had Already Been Deployed in Spain and Portugal?
The story would’ve played out differently:
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Hospitals? Still running.
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Metro systems? Still operational.
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Municipal water, traffic systems, and basic industry? Stable.
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Food supply? Safe.
Why the 180? Because Brenmiller’s TES units can be installed right where energy is used—at cities, factories, warehouses, and transit hubs. Virtually anywhere. And they operate independently of the national grid. Consider bGen as immune cells. If the grid gets sick, they isolate and sustain the vital organs of society.
Even better, they reduce the load on the grid by flattening demand spikes and soaking up excess renewables. That means fewer stresses to begin with. This is resilience—not redundancy.
bGen Isn’t Theoretical—It’s Deployed
The most important part of this equation is that bGen responds. It doesn’t theorize. Brenmiller’s technology is already in the ground. In Israel. In Germany. In Hungary. With Heineken-owned Tempo Beverages, Entelios, and Partner in Pet Food. These aren’t test pilots—they’re deployed systems that will dispatch energy when needed and, as importantly, manage supply when the grid can’t.
It works especially well in regions like Southern Europe, where solar power is plentiful but intermittent. Brenmiller’s TES system enhances solar’s contribution by storing energy during the day and releasing it on-demand 24/7/365—no voltage dropouts and no dependence on potentially combustible battery chemicals.
Don’t underappreciate the energy bird-in-the-hand that Brenmiller Energy provides. Public agencies and private sector companies can have, not just hope for, a scalable, modular, and proven solution that could have softened—or outright prevented—the Spain and Portugal (Iberian Peninsula) grid collapse. In other words, policymakers who are still tangled in debates over hydrogen scale-out, lithium-ion limitations, and carbon market ideologies need to get with the program. The actual and deployable one.
Let’s call it what it is: delay by design. And the cost is paid in blackouts, lost productivity, and even potential loss of life. It’s an avoidable risk.
Stop Debating and Start Building.
We don’t need more think tank panels or white papers. We need shovels in the ground. We need thermal storage installed near urban centers. We need energy that doesn’t disappear because a power line hiccups.
Spain and Portugal will hold inquiries. Reports will be published. Experts will debate. But let’s be blunt: none of that will stop the next blackout.
Deployment will.
If the EU, the U.S., or any country serious about grid resilience wants to future-proof its infrastructure, Brenmiller Energy belongs in every conversation. It has the solutions needed. There’s no reason to wait for the next energy catastrophe to use them.
Sources and references:
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https://news.sky.com/story/power-returning-in-spain-and-portugal-after-large-parts-hit-by-blackout-but-what-caused-it-13357374
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https://bren-energy.com/
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https://bren-energy.com/projects/
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https://bren-energy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/BNRG-FEB-2025.pdf
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