[tomder55]

An unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, stranding thousands of train passengers and leaving millions of people without phone and internet coverage and access to cash from ATMs across the Iberian Peninsula.

Power outage in Spain and Portugal knocks out subway networks, traffic lights | AP News

It caused flight delays ;traffic to stop on roads ;schools to close ;banks to close ;hospitals to rely on back up generators and horrors of horrors ,matches at the Madrid Open tennis tournament suspended. Tens of millions of people instantly plunged into chaos, confusion, and darkness.People were stranded in elevators . Subways stalled between stops .Groceries warmed without refrigeration. Gas stations could not pump . Cell phones could not be used due to the towers not having electricity .

The reality is unchanged . The world works on a reliable supply of power.

Why did it happen ? Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) which manages Portugal's grid blamed it on "extreme temperature variations in Spain, there were "anomalous oscillations" in extremely high-voltage lines. REN said this is known as "induced atmospheric variation," which in turn can lead to oscillations. This caused synchronization failures between systems, leading to successive disturbances across the European network, which is interconnected."
Europe Power Outage Caused by 'Rare Atmospheric Phenomenon,' Company Says - Newsweek
Let me decipher the mumbo jumbo .

This was the news last week .

Spain’s grid ran entirely on renewable energy for the first time on April 16, with wind, solar, and hydro meeting all peninsular electricity demand during a weekday. Five days later, solar set a new record, generating 20,120 MW of instantaneous power – covering 78.6% of demand and 61.5% of the grid mix.

Spain hits first weekday of 100% renewable power on national grid – pv magazine International

Yes . It is this insistence on the over reliance on renewable energy that was the cause. It's not like we haven't been forewarned .

Michael Shellenberger is an environmentalist who has argued that the cleanest energy source is not wind and solar . The leave a heavy carbon print due to mining of the materials needed to produce them ;and they scar the planet. He argues for nuclear power for a clean reliable source of power.

Recent electricity outages in California forced the state’s governor to acknowledge the dangers posed by attempting to rely on unreliable sources of renewable energy.

“We cannot sacrifice reliability,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said on August 17. “We have to sober up to the reality that… we’re going to have to do more, and be much more mindful, in terms of our capacity to provide backup and insurance.”


The problem with relying on solar panels is that the sun sets during peak demand, which is between 5 pm and 10 pm, requiring a massive ramping up of natural gas power plants. And the same lack of wind behind the heatwaves has also meant a lack of electricity from industrial wind turbines.

As Renewables Falter, Environmentalists Stand Up For Nuclear

Until we generate power from dilithium crystals we are stuck with natural gas and nuclear as our cleanest most reliable sources .