Re: "Gavin Newsom Fever," "Exceptional" power outage in Spain and Portugal affects millions of people

[Default]  Dimitris Tzortzakakis <[email protected]> typed:

>???? 1/5/2025 6:46 ?.?., ?/? Dimitris Tzortzakakis ??????:
>> ???? 1/5/2025 12:51 ?.?., ?/? P. Coonan ??????:
>>> On 28 Apr 2025, Green Morons <[email protected]> posted some
>>> news:[email protected]:
>>>
>>>> BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — An unprecedented blackout brought much of
>>>> Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, stopping trains, cutting
>>>> phone service and shutting down traffic lights and ATMs for millions
>>>> of people across the Iberian Peninsula.
>>>>
>>>> Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica declined to speculate on the
>>>> cause of the power outage that began around 12:30 p.m. Madrid time and
>>>> said restoring power fully could take six to 10 hours. Head of
>>>> operations Eduardo Prieto told journalists it was unprecedented,
>>>> calling the event “exceptional and extraordinary.” By 8:35 p.m.,
>>>> only 35% of energy demand had been restored, Prieto said hours later.
>>>>
>>>> Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said a “strong
>>>> oscillation” in the European grid was behind the outage but the
>>>> cause was still being determined. He asked the public to refrain from
>>>> speculation, and urged people to call emergency services only if
>>>> really necessary.
>>>>
>>>> It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks
>>>> after a March 20 fire shut down Heathrow Airport in the U.K., and it
>>>> came as authorities across Europe gird against sabotage backed by
>>>> Russia.
>>>>
>>>> The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center in a statement said there
>>>> was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack. Teresa Ribera,
>>>> European Commission executive vice president in charge of promoting
>>>> clean energy, indicated the same to journalists in Brussels and called
>>>> the power outage “one of the most serious episodes recorded in
>>>> Europe in recent times.”
>>>>
>>>> Spanish and Portuguese capitals affected
>>>>
>>>> The outage began after midday. Offices closed and traffic was snarled
>>>> in major cities. In Barcelona civilians directed traffic. Train
>>>> services in both countries stopped, leaving tens of thousands of
>>>> passengers stranded. It wouldn’t be possible to restart trains later
>>>> Monday even if the power returned, Spain’s Transportation Minister
>>>> Oscar Puente posted on social media.
>>>>
>>>> The subway systems shut down. “I don’t know how I am going to get
>>>> home,” said Barcelona resident Ivette Corona as she watched a large
>>>> group of people fail to get on a bus that briefly stopped to squeeze
>>>> in a couple of passengers.
>>>>
>>>> In Madrid, hundreds of people at a bus stop that takes travelers to
>>>> the airport were trying to hitch-hike. Some held improvised signs to
>>>> convince drivers to take them.
>>>>
>>>> “I’ve been here for almost three hours, trying to get someone to
>>>> take me to the airport because my family arrived today and I can’t
>>>> talk to them. This is terrifying,” said Jessica Fernandez, one of
>>>> the many people at the bus stop.
>>>>
>>>> Hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators. Among
>>>> those most affected were homebound patients dependent on oxygen
>>>> machines. Gas stations stopped working.
>>>>
>>>> It was not possible to make calls or send text messages on most mobile
>>>> phone networks, though some people managed to connect on certain
>>>> messaging apps with intermittent data connections. People searched
>>>> stores for battery-powered radios to stay informed.
>>>>
>>>> It is rare to have such a widespread outage across the Iberian
>>>> Peninsula, with a combined population of about 60 million people.
>>>> Spain’s Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and the territories of
>>>> Ceuta and Melilla, located across the Mediterranean in Africa, were
>>>> not affected.
>>>>
>>>> Spain’s prime minister convened an extraordinary meeting of the
>>>> National Security Council. Four regions of Spain declared an emergency
>>>> and asked the central government in Madrid to take over management of
>>>> the crisis. The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at
>>>> the prime minister’s residence. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis
>>>> Montenegro said he had spoken several times to Sánchez and expected
>>>> power to be restored by the end of the day.
>>>>
>>>> Portugal’s government said the outage appeared to stem from problems
>>>> outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.
>>>>
>>>> Electricity was being pulled from Morocco and France to restore power
>>>> to southern and northern Spain, Spain’s prime minister said,
>>>> thanking their governments. Spain was also increasing the production
>>>> from hydroelectric and combined cycle thermal power plants.
>>>>
>>>> Airports working on backup systems
>>>> A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across
>>>> the country indicated a steep drop around 12:30 p.m. from 27,500
>>>> megawatts to near 15,000 megawatts.
>>>>
>>>> Spanish airports were operating on backup electrical systems and some
>>>> flights were delayed, according to Aena, which runs 56 airports in
>>>> Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona.
>>>>
>>>> In Lisbon, terminals closed and tourists sat outside waiting for news
>>>> about flights.
>>>>
>>>> “We haven’t seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes
>>>> we’ve been waiting here,” Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma told The
>>>> Associated Press.
>>>>
>>>> The Spanish Parliament in Madrid closed. Play at the Madrid Open
>>>> tennis tournament was suspended.
>>>>
>>>> Some took advantage of the lack of connectivity to enjoy the sunshine
>>>> on restaurant terraces, parks and beaches. Barcelona’s streets
>>>> filled with throngs of people milling in front of darkened stores and
>>>> exchanging information.
>>>>
>>>> “We are lucky. Some people got trapped in the metro. And there is a
>>>> positive side: We are talking more with each other,” said Monste
>>>> Cortés in Barcelona. She said dinner would be sliced bread and cold
>>>> cuts.
>>>>
>>>> The owner of a popular ice-cream shop in Madrid began giving ice cream
>>>> away to people passing by. “After about two hours that the power
>>>> went out, I realized that the ice cream would start going bad,” said
>>>> owner Mario Solares. He said he estimated his losses at about 3,000
>>>> euros. “Hopefully we can recover some of this money with the
>>>> insurance or some other way, we’ll see,” Solares added.
>>>>
>>>> The hunt for connectivity
>>>> As hours passed, so did the concern of those unable to reach loved
>>>> ones. Authorities in Barcelona have set up shelters for those unable
>>>> to return home to spend the night.
>>>>
>>>> Rubén Elvira, his wife and two daughters joked with friends on
>>>> parting that they would have to “write letters” to communicate.
>>>>
>>>> In Terrassa, an industrial town 50 kilometers (30 miles) from
>>>> Barcelona, stores selling generators were out of stock.
>>>>
>>>> Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection
>>>> said backup power systems were operating.
>>>>
>>>> In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, police placed more
>>>> officers on duty to cope with increased requests for help, including
>>>> from people trapped in elevators.
>>>>
>>>> Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said. Courts
>>>> stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected.
>>>>
>>>> https://apnews.com/article/spain-portugal-power-outage-electricity-b0c5
>>>> fb ca49b8422248c4f933e20303b3
>>>
>>> 56% of Spain's energy is renewable.
>> what does this figure mean? 56% of installed power (MW) or 56% of energy 
>> (MWh)?and when?when the wind blows and the sun shines or when not? 
>> remember that electricity has to be generated on the fly, and supply has 
>> to meet demand at any moment.
>> According to an article I read, Spain lost an UHV transmission line to 
>> France,possibly due to an overcurrent trip, due to over-generation of 
>> renewables they lost all 7 nuclear stations (they couldn't export the 
>> surplus anymore to France) due to over-frequency trips, they tried to 
>> synchronize gas stations and pick up loads, they failed so there was an 
>> under-frequency trip that isolated the Ibiric peninsula grid from the 
>> rest of Europe. Spain has proudly phased out coal and is basing heavily 
>> on renewables.
>> Here, in Crete there is much protest on aggresively installing 
>> renewables, "every hill a wind-turbine and every stream a small hydro"
>> because a wind farm means destroying nature to build roads to carry all 
>> the necessary equipment, razing off the peaks to install the turbines, 
>> the fundaments of which need 900 cubic meters of concrete and 900 tons 
>> of steel at least, not to mention the transmission lines and 
>> distribution lines for smaller windparks. Also, when the turbine reaches 
>> its end of life, it can't be recycled, it can't be disposed of and it 
>> can't be burned because its wings are made of balsa wood and some very 
>> strong resin (definitely not steel).
>> This reminds me of the sheep chant in George Orwell's animal farm"Four 
>> legs good, two legs bad" everything that has a chimney (or a muffler) is 
>> bad and has to go, and electric cars and renewables are the embodiment 
>> of good.
>there was a similar incident in Athens, in 2004, where in summer, in 
>peak demand, they fired up a heavy fuel station, close to Athens, and 
>when it had synchronized and was about to pick up loads, they lost it 
>due to a drum trip, following the opening of the 400 kV circuit breakers 
>that connected Athens with transmission lines to the lignite area of 
>Kozani, W.Macedonia, also the North to the South. Subsequently the 
>voltage in the 150 kV rails dropped to zero.
>And in Thessaloniki, a 400 kV potential transformer exploded, the debris 
>partially destoyed a 400/150 kV autotrasformer, and until a replacement 
>arrived from India, electricity had to be rationed.
>Under normal operating conditions, the loss of a heavy loaded 
>transmission line can lead to a black out. Say one that supplies a city. 
>Due to a forementioned over frequency trip of all units.

Sorry, but there is a far more simple reason for the outage.

https://www.politico.eu/article/spain-portugal-power-cut-europe-electric-grid-pedro-sanchez/

"Freak disappearance of electricity triggered power cut, says Spain PM
Sánchez"