The energy transition needs intelligence, not just power

The record level of renewable generation is overloading the grid and driving prices to zero, highlighting the limits of the current system.

Opinion column | Ángel Noguera, President of Grupo Negratín

In 2025, renewable energy accounted for around 55.5% of Spain’s electricity mix, reaching a new production record of nearly 151,000 GWh, according to data from Red Eléctrica de España. Solar PV was once again the standout performer, consolidating its position as the leading technology in installed capacity after several years of rapid growth.

This progress is good news, but it also marks a turning point. Once the system reaches a certain scale, the challenge is no longer simply to keep expanding, but to do so in a balanced and coordinated way. And at that point, limits begin to surface that can no longer be ignored: grid saturation, zero or negative price episodes, and increasing difficulties in integrating all the energy generated.

The issue is not a lack of resources or ambition, but rather the design of the system. We are producing more energy than we can currently manage or store, and the transition has therefore entered a phase in which system intelligence is just as important as installed capacity.

In this context, **energy storage—and in particular battery storage—**stops being a promise and becomes a central element of the model. Batteries not only allow us to better harness energy generated during peak‑production hours, but also provide grid stability, reduce price volatility, and make the system more efficient and predictable.

In recent months, various incidents affecting critical infrastructure have reminded us of a lesson that also applies to the power system: growth is not enough if we are not prepared to manage the real‑world use of infrastructure. In the energy sector, generating more is not enough if we cannot manage it properly during stress scenarios.

The good news is that the technology is already mature. Countries like the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom have deployed large‑scale battery systems with clear results: greater energy security, lower volatility and new industrial opportunities. In Spain, however, the rollout of storage continues to lag far behind the pace of renewable expansion.

The main barrier is no longer technical or financial—it is regulatory. Spain lacks a clear roadmap and a stable framework that would allow projects to progress with long‑term visibility. Without strong signals and certainty, investment slows.

This is no longer just a national debate. Reports by figures such as Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta point in the same direction: Europe needs to strengthen its competitiveness and energy autonomy through investment in infrastructure and stable, long‑term regulatory environments.

Our experience in other markets, especially in Latin America, shows that the focus has shifted from maximising installed capacity to assuming a broader responsibility for how energy is financed, built, operated and integrated into the system.

Moreover, this debate goes beyond energy. In a geopolitical context marked by volatility and supply‑chain tensions, energy has become a key factor of autonomy and competitiveness. Spain and Europe have a real opportunity—provided they accompany renewable deployment with infrastructure that guarantees system stability.

Because the question is no longer whether we will produce more clean energy—we already are—but how we are going to manage it. If we want the energy transition to also become an economic and socially fair transition, storage can no longer remain a footnote. It must be at the centre of the conversation.

We are at the decisive moment: we have the capability and the experience. Now it is time to fully activate the role of batteries in the system.

This opinion piece was published in El Economista on February 9, 2026.
La transición energética necesita inteligencia, no solo potencia