StreetsofBeige
Member
Go nuclear and hydroelectricity. Most reliable. Only problem is it takes a ton of time and money to built this stuff.
Lights out in Europe?
- Thread starter owandeseis
- Start date
Jinzo Prime
Gold Member
Six days ago, the media celebrated a significant milestone: Spain's national grid operated entirely on renewable energy for the first time during a weekday. At 12:35 pm today local time, the lights went out across Spain and Portugal, and parts of France. Although power was quickly restored in France, it could take a week to fully restore power in Spain and Portugal.
In an instant, the electric hum of modern life — trains, hospitals, airports, phones, traffic lights, cash registers — fell silent. Tens of millions of people instantly plunged into chaos, confusion, and darkness. People got stuck in elevators. Subways stopped between stations. Gas stations couldn't pump fuel. Grocery stores couldn't process payments. Air traffic controllers scrambled as systems failed and planes were diverted. In hospitals, backup generators sputtered on, but in many cases could not meet full demand.
It was one of the largest peacetime blackouts Europe has ever seen. And it was not random. It was not an unforeseeable event. It was the exact failure that many of us have been, repeatedly, warning lawmakers about for years — warnings that Europe's political leaders systematically chose to ignore.While Portugal's grid operator REN initially blamed the mass blackout on "extreme temperature variations" and a "rare atmospheric phenomenon," and while some media repeated that framing, the reality is more serious. Weather may have triggered the event, but it was not the cause of the system's collapse.
Spain's national grid operator, Red Eléctrica, revealed that the immediate cause of the blackout was a "very strong oscillation in the electrical network" that forced Spain's grid to disconnect from the broader European system, leading to the collapse of the Iberian Peninsula's power supply at 12:38 p.m
"No one has ever attempted a black start on a grid that relies so heavily on renewables as Iberia," noted
@JKempEnergy "The limited number of thermal generators will make it more challenging to re-establish momentum and frequency control."In a traditional power grid dominated by heavy spinning machines — coal plants, gas turbines, nuclear reactors — small disturbances, even from severe weather, are absorbed and smoothed out by the sheer physical inertia of the system. The heavy rotating mass of the generators acts like a shock absorber, resisting rapid changes in frequency and stabilizing the grid.
In a traditional power grid dominated by heavy spinning machines — coal plants, gas turbines, nuclear reactors — small disturbances, even from severe weather, are absorbed and smoothed out by the sheer physical inertia of the system. The heavy rotating mass of the generators acts like a shock absorber, resisting rapid changes in frequency and stabilizing the grid.
But in an electricity system dominated by solar panels, wind turbines, and inverters, there is almost no physical inertia. Solar panels produce no mechanical rotation. Most modern wind turbines are electronically decoupled from the grid and provide little stabilizing force. Inverter-based systems, which dominate modern renewable energy grids, are precise but delicate. They follow the frequency of the grid rather than resisting sudden changes....
So uhh... is the rest of Europe going to have to jumpstart the entire Iberian peninsula?
p_xavier
Authorized Fister
From Grok.
The time food remains safe to eat in a fridge after losing electricity depends on several factors, including the type of food, the fridge's temperature before the outage, and how long the power is out. Here are general guidelines based on food safety recommendations:
- Fridge (typically 35–40°F / 2–4°C):
- A fully stocked fridge can maintain a safe temperature (below 40°F / 4°C) for about 4 hours if the door is kept closed.
- A half-full fridge may only stay safe for about 2–3 hours.
- After 4 hours, perishable foods (e.g., meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, leftovers) may enter the "danger zone" (40–140°F / 4–60°C), where bacteria can grow rapidly.
- Specific Food Guidelines:
- Meat, poultry, seafood (raw or cooked): Safe for up to 4 hours if the fridge stays below 40°F. Discard if above 40°F for more than 2 hours.
- Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt): Safe for about 4 hours. Soft cheeses are riskier than hard cheeses, which may last longer.
- Eggs: Safe for 4 hours. Discard if above 40°F for more than 2 hours.
- Cooked leftovers, deli meats, casseroles: Safe for 4 hours. Discard if above 40°F for more than 2 hours.
- Fruits and vegetables: Most can last longer (8–12 hours or more) unless cut. Cut fruits/veggies may spoil faster (discard after 6–8 hours).
- Condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayo): Unopened, safe for days. Opened mayo should be discarded after 8 hours; others may last longer.
- Butter: Can last 1–2 days due to high fat content.
- Key Tips:
- Keep the fridge door closed to maintain cold temperatures longer.
- Use a fridge thermometer to check the temperature after the outage. If it's above 40°F for more than 2 hours, perishable foods are generally unsafe.
- If power is out for an extended period, move perishables to a cooler with ice or gel packs to extend safety.
- Smell and appearance aren't reliable indicators of safety—bacteria may grow without noticeable changes.
- When in doubt, throw it out to avoid foodborne illness.
- Freezer (if applicable):
- A full freezer can stay safe (0°F / -18°C or below) for about 48 hours; a half-full freezer for about 24 hours.
- Frozen foods that partially thaw but remain below 40°F can be refrozen, though quality may suffer.
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Tams
Member
Just some lazy Iberians.
Trilobit
Absolutely Cozy
Fucking Finns at it again!
ChuckeRearmed
Member
A true "net zero".The moment people from Spain realice their are the beta testers of the green grit.
Well the fact that with one simple trick you can shutdown the infrastructure of two countries (well a bit more but still) at once. Imagine shutting it down for one or two days - logistics are dead, hospitals, factories...All down.
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Lisbon Portugal here.
Light went out around 11.30 am and we are slowly getting it back, our just came on around 15 minutes, 9.30pm now
Really scary feeling to be honest, no one knew anything and you couldnt talk to anyone because communications were all gone.
When we were coming back from work around 2pm the gas stations and super markets were overloaded we people...it was as i said above a really strange feeling.
Light went out around 11.30 am and we are slowly getting it back, our just came on around 15 minutes, 9.30pm now
Really scary feeling to be honest, no one knew anything and you couldnt talk to anyone because communications were all gone.
When we were coming back from work around 2pm the gas stations and super markets were overloaded we people...it was as i said above a really strange feeling.
Nankatsu
Member
Yes it was.
I actually didn't spend the day around devices, but I imagine kids in schools without a chance to scroll down on Instagram or Tiktok
Radical_3d
Member
You're acting all mighty because you're now rich but until yesterday all your buildings looked like a match box.Google street view from Spain:
On topic: YAY! Finally I have light and internet. Time to waste my life here.
owandeseis
Member
Same here in Valencia, Spain.
Finally! Was a long day, President said 16 gigawatts (60% of Electric demand in Spain) disappeared suddenly in 5 secs when this started this morning huh
Finally! Was a long day, President said 16 gigawatts (60% of Electric demand in Spain) disappeared suddenly in 5 secs when this started this morning huh
Tams
Member
Imagine having no power to nothing. There were no communications whatsoever working. In the first hours people were overloading supermarkets , gas stations. Fights broke out to catch a simple bus to get home. Traffic was simply chaotic since no street signs were working. People stuck in the subway,trains and whatever u might imagine.
Yes it was scary, go fuck yourself btw!!
Audiophile
Member
How It Started, How It's Going
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Damn murcianos, it's almost 00:00 and this hellhole of a town of mine is still pitch black.
At least the internet came back! I was almost about to pick up a book lol.
Tams
Member
All that tells me is that there lots selfish idiots where you live.
All you have to do is find somewhere to chill with a few beers.
Now, in the UK it would probably be worse in urban areas. I don't live in one though and very occasionally the power goes out here. Neighbours come out and have a moan, then everyone just gets their candles out.
Also, what is this 'bus' you speak of? I think I've heard rumour of sightings of something by that name around here...
Dude , we are talking about 2 FULL countries without power , im not gonna say anything more. You really need a reality check...get over yourself imagine the uk happenning that...if its nothing then u're just a moron im sorry
Solarstrike
Member
China hackers, Russia hackers, Iran hackers, or aliens, and/or Windows 98. Here in the USA, every time someone farts in the wind, the power goes out somewhere. Seriously, countries best start upgrading their infrastructure.
PS: I hope you and everyone affected gets their power back.
PS: I hope you and everyone affected gets their power back.
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Tams
Member
Let me think. If it happened in the UK for less than a day...
I'd just carry on as I have plenty of fuel in my car and plenty of food at home, including canned and preserved food (even some military ration packs). I also always have some cash on me.
If someone needed to go to hospital, I'd drive them there, using mainly back roads.
It's called having some basic resilience and forethought.
Great Auk
Banned
kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
Pretty sad that the first thing that would happen during a nationwide power outage in the UK would be looting from stores...
Great Auk
Banned
To be fair, the US (and parts of Canada) had a major blackout in 2003 affecting almost 60 million people (mostly in the US.)
The blackout lasted at least 14 hours for the people who got power back the fastest and some places were out as long as 29 hours. And it was summer so it was hot. People took it in stride. They were actually very civil.
thefool
Member
An advice if you're ever in this situation again. Buy a radio, radio stations are piss easy to maintain with generators and you can easily stay informed (assuming obviously there's radio stations where you live)
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Nocty
Member
my brother works at Drax in yorkshire. The stories he tells me are pretty scary to be honest lol. our grid is basically held up by jacobs cream crackcers and pva glue at this point. Just before christmas there was a near-system wide wipeout much like spain that was only prevented because the only qualified person in the country who could fix it, the ONLY guy who knew what they were doing came home from holidays in malaga to put out the fire. British airwayss sent out an emergency private jet to get the guy and got him back to the uk within hours to stop the grid from going down. How we get to the point where the national grid has it's very own Benz to call to fix it all is just insanity. The senior safety guy was also on sick leave for so long that new staff were being trained by people not even in the fucking country, by videocall lmao.
We are a country filled with serious staff shortages at the most critical infrastructure level, nhs, power, public services like police etc are all fucked. No one applies to these jobs anymore since the work is ridiculous and pay is shit.
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Portugeezer
Member
Power back here in northern Portugal.
Tiago Rodrigues
Member
Portuguese here. Lights went out at 11:30. Just got the power back almost 12 hours later.
They were even arguing this could take like 72 hours to solve…and its a bit scary because we rely on tech so much that most people had no actual cash to pay for anything and all i could think of was how tf the entire country would last for 72 hours without riots. As the night came it was a scary sight. I had friends that were about to stay up all night with their parents inside stores and everything.
Good thing it didn't come to that. But honestly…how does this happen in 2 European countries like this is weird as hell.
What's good here is the weather, food, wine, the people in general and our heath system has lots of flaws but you can literally heal from a cancer without paying a single euro. But my god we are such a failure when compared to most Europe specially now that everyone figured we were cheap as fuck and all countries are investing in us creating even more problems for the ones already working and living here (you just have to check our housing issues currently)
They were even arguing this could take like 72 hours to solve…and its a bit scary because we rely on tech so much that most people had no actual cash to pay for anything and all i could think of was how tf the entire country would last for 72 hours without riots. As the night came it was a scary sight. I had friends that were about to stay up all night with their parents inside stores and everything.
Good thing it didn't come to that. But honestly…how does this happen in 2 European countries like this is weird as hell.
As a Portuguese guy…we wouldn't be considered first world if we weren't located in Europe lol. This is a small country with poor construction, infrastructures etc…and a minimum wage of 820 euros lmao.
What's good here is the weather, food, wine, the people in general and our heath system has lots of flaws but you can literally heal from a cancer without paying a single euro. But my god we are such a failure when compared to most Europe specially now that everyone figured we were cheap as fuck and all countries are investing in us creating even more problems for the ones already working and living here (you just have to check our housing issues currently)
Great Auk
Banned
If anything you would be considered better than first world (I know there's no such thing) if you WEREN'T located in Europe lol
Have you seen the rest of the world?
Don't worry, the CEOs and Shareholders will invest their profits back into the business to bring everything up to code.
Right?
Lord Panda
The Sea is Always Right
China hackers, Russia hackers, Iran hackers, or aliens, and/or Windows 98. Here in the USA, every time someone farts in the wind, the power goes out somewhere. Seriously, countries best start upgrading their infrastructure.
PS: I hope you and everyone affected gets their power back.
That's why I went off-grid and I suspect more and more people will do the same as battery costs continue to drop.
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Great Auk
Banned
They want renewables? Great.
But why do they need to destroy a great source of clean power that can provide a steady base load and is immune to global price shocks?
Germany is stupid too.
Chernobyl propaganda works, it's always brought up whenever Nuclear is mentioned and why it's a danger to keep around. Science has moved on in the decades past, shit, we should be using Hydrogen in cars but pussies are too scared of "it might explode".
StreetsofBeige
Member
Googling it, Spain isnt destroying their nuclear reactors. But by 2035 want to fully decommission them.
Nuclear is the best and most reliable energy source. And you dont get stupid price spikes due to supply and demand either.
But there's always going to be a part of the population who hates nuclear because they think it'll blow up and everyone will get lethal radiation.
Nuclear is the best and most reliable energy source. And you dont get stupid price spikes due to supply and demand either.
But there's always going to be a part of the population who hates nuclear because they think it'll blow up and everyone will get lethal radiation.
Radical_3d
Member
Remember: Murcia is almost 'MURICA. We can't loose
I'm guessing you're Malagueño? They've been 14 hours out!
Radical_3d
Member
It's really depressing we lost our empire to you, guys. Beaten by clowns…
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Nope, manchego. We didn't get our electricity back until 1AM, but no internet until a few hours ago.Remember: Murcia is almost 'MURICA. We can't loose
I'm guessing you're Malagueño? They've been 14 hours out!
Trunx81
Member
German media is still using Fukushima as the "nucular is baaad" excuse, although no one died there. The war on nuclear power is crazy. We could have net zero co2
Bojji
Member
Not to mention Fukushima was build in very dangerous region (earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.) but in Germany? Nothing happens...
Now Germany builds "green" coal powered power plants.
Spain IS impressive by achieving such high % of removable energy in the grid but if this was the cause of this outage then they need to rethink the whole system.
Paasei
Member
Only Spain, Portugal and some southern parts of France. It's over now, right?
Anyway, I did see a message on the news about that they want us in NL to minimize power usage during 16:00 and 21:00. That's about it.
Funny how they first, for a few years, want us to stop using gas, oil and so on for electricity and now the net can't handle it. Well planned/handled as per usual.
Anyway, I did see a message on the news about that they want us in NL to minimize power usage during 16:00 and 21:00. That's about it.
Funny how they first, for a few years, want us to stop using gas, oil and so on for electricity and now the net can't handle it. Well planned/handled as per usual.
Trunx81
Member
Minimize power usage as a consequence? Too much energy was what probably caused the whole blackout ..
That´s like the problem with saving on water: The sewers need to be flushed nowadays by hand as theres not enough flow to get the filth flowing
Paasei
Member
In our case (as in NL) it's mostly because a lot of people invested in electric devices like EV's and anything in the household to replace gas with electricity. Yet the "grid" can't handle this high amount of sudden spikes very well, as it's ancient and never (properly) invested in at the same time to cope. Everyone but the government was able to see this coming. Seems like an incompetence issue, which is nothing new here.
Audiophile
Member
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In the UK we have companies promote "free electric" days when too much is generated by Solar, for example this week it's looking nice and the provider I'm with (Octopus) have sent out a message stating that this Thursday and Friday will be free days and encourage people to just hit the grid hard.
Cyberpunkd
Banned
France has 18 operating nuclear power plants, we are making 70% of all energy using them. Here's French people when they hear Germans talking about closing the plants:
kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
The electricity grid in the Netherlands is not ancient or badly designed. Just like everywhere else on the world it was made for a one way transfer. What's been happening is that the government is pushing electrification so hard that demand is rising much faster than electricity companies can manage. For years the national government (and the EU) are pushing everyone to electric cars, to switch from gas to electricity, to install solar panels on the roofs of houses and businesses, to phase out coal plants and switch to wind turbines and solar parks, etc. It was clear years ago that electric companies didn't have the man power to keep up with the rising demand. It's not just demand, the whole system has to be rebuilt to accommodate two-way transfer of electricity. But the government keeps pushing for more instead of hitting the pause button or the brake.
Dr.Morris79
Gold Member
You're under an illusion anything would change..
You'd still wait 14 hours in A&E
Shoplifting would still happen
There'd still be knife crime
You still wouldn't be able to reach civil service
I think the only things that'd be impacted is your local Turkish barber couldn't launder money for five minutes and the Barclays bank, town council office and Five Guys wouldn't have their lights on all night for no reason
AJUMP23
Parody of actual AJUMP23
France has 18 operating nuclear power plants, we are making 70% of all energy using them. Here's French people when they hear Germans talking about closing the plants:
French are sensible about some things. But not much. Pastry and Nukes
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