Boyan Rashev: The Future Lies in Having a Controllable Energy Mix. Green Energy Cannot Be Dominant

Bulgaria’s electricity balance is increasingly resembling that of Spain. Recently, investments have been focused mainly on solar power. Practically no new wind farms have been built in recent years. In a system that needs diversification, investing only in one uncontrollable source obviously leads to problems.

This comment was made on Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) by Boyan Rashev, an expert in energy, resource, and environmental management.

In the morning, solar plants start producing a huge amount of electricity, and by around 11:00 AM, the Electricity System Operator (ESO) begins to curtail their output. Half of the solar production is "dumped" and not allowed onto the grid to prevent a repeat of what happened in Spain, he explained.

Two days after the massive failure in Spain, speculation is still circulating. The authorities emphasize that the problem isn't with green energy. The grid operator had warned about the risk of serious outages due to the increased share of renewable energy. Experts argue that mass production using these technologies isn’t a problem if corrections are made. Spain is a global leader in renewable energy generation. The country is not expected to abruptly shift back to traditional sources. The Spanish government has a plan for the gradual closure of nuclear power plants, summarized Dimitar Draganov, BNR’s correspondent in Spain.

“The most relevant opinions are always those of the technicians – the people responsible for the grid. They’ve been warning about this issue for years. High penetration of solar and wind power into a grid creates problems – first, with the massive generation spikes that appear out of nowhere, and second – with sudden drops in generation,” Rashev emphasized. According to him, the only perfect energy source is gas power plants because they offer full control.

“The problem is very serious. We don’t want something like this happening in Bulgaria,” he added. “Three units of the large coal plants operate continuously, and it’s no coincidence – they don’t shut down so the system can respond if a problem arises.”

Rashev predicted there would be no adequate response from the EU to what happened in Spain.

“If something like that happens in the middle of winter – you can imagine what would happen, how many people could die. The future lies in having a controllable energy mix. Green energy cannot be dominant because it’s not controllable.”

Large sums of money are mobilized only where large profits are expected. Greed drives investments. Big profits from an energy source you can’t control shouldn’t be expected under a free market, Rashev stated. In his view, without political protection, such projects rarely happen in Bulgaria – especially in the energy sector.

“Big money goes where big profits are expected. It doesn’t go randomly.”

The areas with high wind energy potential are along the coast and in the mountains. There are turbines near Buzludzha. People don’t like seeing such massive structures on mountain ridges where they go to enjoy nature. The only place that wouldn’t interfere as much with people’s everyday lives would be the offshore zone in the Black Sea, Rashev noted.

"Let’s imagine that tomorrow a similar project is built on Cherni Vrah (Black Peak). Can you imagine the reaction in Sofia? Kyustendil and Osogovo are in the same relation as Sofia is with Vitosha," Rashev said in reference to local residents' protest readiness against the construction of a wind farm in the mountain, which they associate with tourism.

"The region really has tourism potential. With giant structures like turbines, it certainly won’t look better."