A rare blackout can generate doubts, but the latest data shows the opposite: the confidence of the Portuguese in the energy transition remains firm and pragmatic. The focus has shifted to resilience, clear communication, and self-consumption solutions that make sense in daily life.
Short on time? Here’s the gist:
| ✅ Point | 💡 Essential |
|---|---|
| Support for renewables ⚡ | 97% maintain support for renewable energy; 94% approve the transition strategy. |
| Structural measures 🧱 | More than 70% support grid batteries, European interconnections, and electrification of consumption. |
| Disinformation 📵 | 85% noticed noise on social media; greater trust in traditional media (64%). |
| Domestic resilience 🏡 | Interest in self-consumption, batteries, and energy communities rose to 50–60% of respondents. |
Iberian blackout of 2025: confidence in the energy transition and practical lessons for your home
The widespread outage on April 28, 2025, which affected Portugal and Spain and left about 60 million people without electricity for several hours, could have shaken the collective belief in clean energy. The study coordinated by Miguel Macias Sequeira shows the opposite: the majority of the Portuguese distinguish isolated operational failures from the long-term strategic direction. There is sensibility in the reading of the event and a desire to strengthen the system without backtracking on climate goals.
The numbers are clear: 97% support continued investment in renewable energy and 94% back the national energy transition strategy. This means that, even in the face of the exceptional blackout, the “social mandate” to move forward with decarbonization has not been lost. In 2026, this base of support translates into political and social space for robustness measures, such as strengthening interconnections and storage.
Another relevant fact is the support for structural solutions: more than 70% agree with the installation of electric batteries (both domestic and in the grid), the strengthening of European interconnections, and the electrification of consumption. The message is clear: the public is ready for technical solutions that make the system more predictable, comfortable, and secure, without hindering the investment in wind, solar, and other clean sources.
What has changed in the perception of risk and how to act at home
Although strategic confidence remains, the blackout left positive marks on how we think about domestic resilience. Half to 60% of respondents reported increased interest in solar self-consumption, residential batteries, and energy communities. This trend is consistent with practical experience: a building with good thermal envelope and local generation navigates interruptions with more comfort and less stress.
Realistic example: a well-insulated T3, with 5 kW of panels and 7–10 kWh of battery, maintains efficient lighting, refrigerator, router, and essential outlets for hours, even during a network failure. If there is hot water heating by heat pump, smart scheduling ensures hot water without unnecessary peaks. In condominiums, a small photovoltaic system in common areas prevents failures in automatic doors and emergency lighting — a few well-managed kilowatts make a difference.
It’s also worth thinking about light redundancies: emergency USB outlets, a rechargeable LED light point, and a charging station for mobile phones prevent “digital panic.” The logic is simple: reduce dependence on power peaks, balance energy use, and prioritize critical loads.
Municipal management and coordination with neighbors
From an urban perspective, small investments multiply results. Neighborhoods with civic centers equipped with storage and solar generation can serve as resilience hubs, ensuring communications, refrigeration of medicines, and support for vulnerable people. Merchants with refrigerated chambers connected to short-duration batteries reduce waste and ensure minimum services.
These solutions, combined with simple communication protocols among residents, create an informal care network. In the end, what remained from the blackout was not fear, but a roadmap: strengthen local resilience, without giving up on the transition.
Key idea: confidence remains because solutions exist; the next step is to put them where it matters — in your home, in your neighborhood, in your routine.
Communication in energy crises: reduce noise, increase public trust
The study shows a clear pattern: 85% of the Portuguese perceived disinformation on social media during and after the blackout, while 64% trusted traditional media more. There was positive evaluation of the work of network operators (80%) and authorities (66%), but 74% felt a lack of clear explanations and 67% thought the true causes were not transparent. The lesson is operational: when information fails, the void is filled by rumors.
How to mitigate this effect? The antidote combines pre-defined messaging protocols, redundant channels, and straightforward language. Technical communication does not need jargon; it requires simple sequences: what happened, what is being done, what you can expect, and what you can do right now. Response time and source consistency matter as much as content.
Domestic and condominium communication plan
In a building or on a street, a small plan reduces anxiety and organizes priorities. Who informs whom? Where do messages circulate when mobile data fails? Where is the list of contacts for vulnerable neighbors? This type of preparation costs nothing and creates emotional security — an underestimated point that, in blackouts, counts as much as kilowatts.
- 📻 Battery-operated radio and charged power bank: information and autonomy assured.
- 📜 Poster in the lobby with useful contacts and simple guidelines for power outages.
- 📶 Router with small UPS (uninterruptible power supply): keeps Wi‑Fi for 1–2 hours for calls.
- 👥 Neighborhood network: who checks on the elderly, who has a first aid kit.
- 🔋 Prioritize loads: refrigerator, LED lighting, communications — the rest can wait.
Condos that test these procedures twice a year react better to the unexpected. The culture of rehearsal — like a fire drill — fluidifies roles and cuts noise.
Institutions and companies: transparency and predictability
For municipalities, schools, and companies, the recommendation is to publish accessible continuity plans, with minimum “service levels” during outages (e.g., emergency lighting for X hours, charging points, support lines). When the public knows limits and provisional solutions, tolerance for temporary discomfort increases.
A technical sheet post-event, published 48–72 hours later, helps close the door to speculation: probable cause, sequence of events, corrective measures, and audit schedule. This is where trust is regained from those who considered the explanations insufficient.
To delve deeper, it is useful to hear the voice of those who operate the network and understand how protection mechanisms work. The more we know the gears, the less room there is for alarmist theories.
Key idea: clarity, redundancy, and predictability build trust as quickly as speculation mines it.
Solar self-consumption, batteries, and energy communities: how to transform interest into real benefits
The leap in interest in self-consumption and domestic storage after the blackout, reported by 50–60% of respondents, is more than an emotional reaction — it is a rational opportunity. Photovoltaic panels, batteries, and participation in renewable energy communities reduce bills, provide autonomy in critical hours, and collectively relieve the grid at peak times.
To get started, it is advisable to map critical consumption. In typical homes, refrigerator, LED lighting, router, computer, and a multi-outlet plug add up to 300–600 W. A 7–10 kWh battery covers several hours of autonomy for these items. If there is a heat pump, scheduled usage and an inertia tank optimize comfort and consumption.
Simple sizing and informed decisions
A practical rule: install between 1 and 1.5 kW of solar for every 1,000 kWh of annual consumption. For a family that consumes 4,000 kWh/year, 4–6 kW of panels is a sensible level, especially if there are daytime usage hours. As for storage, 0.5 to 1 times the average daily consumption is a comfortable range to ensure essential autonomy.
Additional advantages arise when neighbors create an energy community: surplus is shared, consumption profiles are optimized, and investments are made in common equipment (for example, a battery bank on the roof of the building). In multifamily buildings, governance should be simple and predictable – clear regulations, transparent accounting, and scheduled maintenance.
| 🔧 Solution | 🌱 Benefit | 💶 Cost/Complexity Note |
|---|---|---|
| PV 3–5 kW | Reduction of bill and less dependence on the grid | 💚 Low average |
| Battery 7–10 kWh | Hours of autonomy for critical loads | 🟨 Medium |
| Energy community | Sharing of surplus and economies of scale | 🟧 Medium to high (governance) |
| Load management | Avoids peaks and extends the life of systems | 💚 Low (software/routines) |
Startup checklist for your home
- 🧾 Gather bills and extract monthly consumption and peak usage hours.
- 🧭 Analyze roof orientation and possible seasonal shadows.
- 🔌 List critical loads and estimate desired autonomy (in hours).
- 🛠️ Request 2–3 comparable proposals, with warranty and maintenance plan.
- 👥 Talk to neighbors about forming an energy community in your building or street.
To explore specifications, case studies, and good construction rules, the idea repository at Ecopassivehouses.pt brings together tested and accessible solutions.
Key idea: the best “generator” is efficiency; the second is the sun; the battery just organizes energy in your favor.
European interconnections and grid batteries: energy security without hindering renewables
A modern electrical grid works like an interconnected organism. When the integration is robust, sharing capacity between countries dilutes risks. It is no surprise that more than 70% of respondents support strengthening European interconnections and installing grid batteries. These infrastructures ensure stability when the wind drops on one side and the sun disappears on the other, and buffer shocks in rare events.
The European regulatory framework — with an emphasis on consolidated operational guidelines since Regulation (EU) 2017/1485 — has evolved from real incidents, with reporting, investigation, and mandatory corrections. In 2025, European officials emphasized “solidarity and resilience” in the face of the Iberian blackout and committed to strengthening supply security. In 2026, this commitment translates into coordinated investments and improved cross-border contingency plans.
Why interconnecting is gaining
Interconnections are not just for “importing energy.” They serve as a balancing posture: sending excess when available and receiving when lacking, reducing the cost of fossil backup and lowering prices during peak hours. Grid batteries — in substations or regional hubs — add rapid response, stabilize frequency, and prevent a local disturbance from escalating into a wide failure.
For you, the citizen, the impact is direct: more predictable bills, fewer interruptions, and a system aligned with climate goals. For companies, it increases competitiveness by buffering volatility and protecting sensitive processes.
Practical measures with double benefit
- 🧰 Distributed storage in public and private buildings to support critical services.
- 🛰️ Real-time monitoring and harmonized operating rules among operators.
- 🏗️ Technical training for maintenance and incident response, with joint exercises.
- 📈 Flexibility markets that reward those who reduce consumption at peak times.
- 🔁 Retrofitting cables, protections, and remote control in key nodes of the grid.
These measures align security, cost, and climate. It’s the right engineering, in the right place, with the right response time.
Understanding how the European grid breathes in daily life helps to appreciate Portugal’s role in this interdependent system — and the reason why investing in renewables with resilience is the most sensible route.
Key idea: interconnecting and storing is not a luxury — it’s what allows accelerating renewables without losing stability.
Sustainable housing: linking energy to health, comfort, and jobs to gain acceptance
Between 2023 and 2025, the importance attributed to environmental issues dropped from 33% to 26% in the priorities of the Portuguese, while health, housing, jobs, and education gained weight. It is not disinterest in the climate; it is the urgency of everyday life. What this study teaches is that the energy transition gains strength when connected to tangible benefits in your home, your health, and your work.
Let’s start with indoor air quality. Well-insulated homes, with controlled mechanical ventilation and suitable filters, reduce humidity and pollutants, improving sleep and productivity. On extremely hot days — more frequent nowadays — passive solutions like exterior shading, thermal mass, and nighttime ventilation maintain comfort with much less energy. In rare episodes of electrical failure, this “passive base” is what ensures more stable temperatures for longer.
On the economic front, efficiency and self-consumption free up household budgets. Less spending on energy means more room for health and education. Companies that modernize lighting, HVAC, and load management become more competitive and consistent — less downtime, less waste, more reliability with customers. Green jobs spring from here: installation, maintenance, engineering, energy auditing, component manufacturing, and management software.
Three fronts to act now in residential buildings
- 🧱 Efficient envelope: correct insulation, airtight windows, shading, and treated thermal bridges.
- 🌞 Intelligent active energy: optimized PV, load management, and, if it makes sense, sized battery for critical loads.
- 🫁 Health and comfort: controlled ventilation, low-emission materials, and scheduled maintenance.
In neighborhoods, shared solutions amplify the impact: efficient communal laundries, refrigeration hubs for local commerce, and charging points with managed power. When the community participates, social acceptance grows — exactly what the study points to as a need: a fair and inclusive transition, capable of ensuring effectiveness and speed.
Want a quick roadmap? Conduct a simplified energy audit, prioritize low-cost and high-impact measures (sealing, LED, timers), plan investments in phases, and evaluate forming an energy community with neighbors. The platform Ecopassivehouses.pt gathers practical guides and real cases to help take the next step with confidence.
Key idea: when the transition improves your life today — comfort, bills, breathable air — support stops being abstract and becomes a lived commitment.
Source: edificioseenergia.pt
