By: Richard McIndoe

 

On April 28, 2025, a sudden collapse of the Iberian power grid left tens of millions across Spain, Portugal and parts of France without electricity. The countries were brought to a standstill.  Planes grounded, transport systems halted and essential services suspended.  The underlying cause is still being hotly debated, with renewables supporters and detractors pitching into the debate with equal measure. But the outcome is not up for debate. A near-simultaneous loss of generation sources, removing 15 GW of supply—over 60% of Spain’s demand—in moments, causing cascading instability and total system failure. Just a week later, another blackout affected tens of thousands of tourists in the Canary Islands.

 

This wasn’t a cyberattack or a human error. It was a technical domino effect in a grid saturated with renewables and lacking real-time visibility at the distribution level. It’s a scenario that could repeat—anywhere.

 

As a former utility CEO, I’ve seen firsthand how operational blind spots at the grid edge limit our ability to detect risks early and respond effectively. In a world of accelerating electrification and decentralization, distribution network monitoring is no longer optional—it’s essential.

 

At Edge Zero, we work with utilities globally to integrate low voltage network monitoring into core grid strategy. Here’s why.

 

1. Early Detection of Grid Edge Instabilities

Grid failure can begin with minor, localized disturbances—voltage sags, harmonic distortions or unbalanced phases. Without sensors in place at the distribution transformer or feeder level, these go unnoticed until they propagate upstream.

 

Why it matters: Timely intervention is only possible when we can see beyond the substation. Early detection limits escalation.

2. Visibility During System Fragmentation

Large-scale outages don’t always affect the entire network evenly. Some LV zones retain power. Others don’t. Conventional systems often can’t distinguish which areas are still live.

 

Why it matters: Accurate, real-time knowledge of where power exists enables smarter, more rapid restoration sequencing and avoids unnecessary switching delays.

3. Faster Fault Localization and Response

When a fault occurs on the LV network, identifying its source is often manual and time-consuming. Without visibility at the transformer level, crews are dispatched to investigate, often without context.

 

Why it matters: Every minute of outage impacts customers, costs money and erodes public confidence. Searching for root cause faults takes time and increases operating costs, Faster fault resolution protects customers and saves money.

4. Smarter Planning for New Load Profiles

With EV charging, rooftop solar and battery systems redefining how electricity flows, planning based on traditional assumptions is no longer sustainable. Distribution assets must be sized and scheduled based on actual conditions, not averages or models from a pre-DER era.

 

Why it matters: Real-time monitoring provides the data needed to extend transformer life, defer unnecessary upgrades and support safe, effective DER integration.

5. Building a Predictive, Resilient Grid

The future of grid management lies in predictive analytics—being able to identify patterns before they lead to failures. That requires a foundation of high-resolution, time-series data from the grid edge.

 

Why it matters: Resilience is not just the ability to recover from events. It’s the capacity to avoid them altogether.

Looking Ahead

The energy sector is undergoing a generational shift. Our networks are more complex, more dynamic and more exposed to volatility than ever before. Yet in too many cases, we’re still making critical decisions with incomplete visibility into the most active part of the grid.

 

The blackout in Spain revealed what happens when high-voltage systems operate without real-time insight into the whole electricity grid, including the low-voltage network. It wasn’t a failure of intent or ambition—it was a failure of visibility. As the energy transition accelerates, this type of event doesn’t have to be inevitable. With comprehensive distribution network monitoring in place, grid operators gain the foresight to detect early warnings, the context to act decisively, and the resilience to restore power swiftly. The path forward is clear: a more stable, more resilient grid begins at the edge.

 

We cannot prevent every disruption. But we can ensure we see them coming—and that we’re equipped to respond swiftly and strategically when they do.

 

Now is the time to treat LV visibility as core infrastructure.