Blackout risk. “This is the most important aspect”

The giant crash, or Blackout, took place on Monday in Spain and Portugal. The break in electricity supplies paralyzed street traffic, grounded planes, stopped the railway, trapped many people in the elevators and metro wagons. Hospitals worked in an emergency mode. On Tuesday, the supply of electricity stabilized, but the effects of the failure were felt in the following days. The reason for the failure is unknown.

Dr inż. Bartosz Brusiłowicz from the Department of Energy Electrical Department of the Wrocław University of Technology pointed out that the likely cause of Blackout on the Iberian Peninsula was to exclude one of the high voltage high voltage line of 400 kV high voltage line very important for the local energy transmission system.

– For what reasons did not turn off, it is not known. Perhaps it was a short circuit, maybe it was some mechanical damage or the cause of exclusion was a developing failure – he said in an interview with PAP.

The scientist pointed out that one of the disseminated hypotheses says that the cause of the failure could be renewable sources (solar and wind), which according to specialists are more difficult to control in the energy system.

– But, interestingly, the share of renewable energy in the Spanish system on the day of the failure was about 60 percent – they are windmills and photovoltaics. In Poland at the same time this share was 66 percent, and we did not fail – pointed out Dr. Brusiłowicz.

The expert emphasized that large energy failures can happen and in Poland and in Europe.

– The energy system are thousands of related devices, hundreds of thousands of kilometers of lines that may fail. So let's not say whether Blackout can happen, but how to prepare for getting out of it and limiting its spread. This is the most important aspect of this issue – said the scientist.

Dr. Brusiłowicz pointed out that the example of Blackout on the Iberian Peninsula showed that there are systems in Europe to prevent the spread of failure.

– Remember that energy systems in European countries are connected, and yet the failure has not spread, because the Spanish system was quickly disconnected from French – he said.

The expert emphasized that one of the key elements of the energy system, thanks to which this system can be quickly restored to Blackout operation is an extensive transmission network.

– If, as in Spain, a high voltage line is turned off, the energy that was sent to it begins to be sent by other lines. In a situation where the remaining lines are already used close to the limits of their capabilities, and subsequent loads come on them, the avalanche exclusions begin – this is a classic blackout – explained the expert.

He pointed out that the easiest way to avoid such a failure is to build and modernize as many transmission lines and power stations as possible.

“They will simply provide different paths for energy,” he added.