Power outage Europe

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Large parts of Spain and Portugal experienced major power outages, shutting off traffic lights and causing chaos at travel hubs. In Spain, all rail traffic has come to a halt and in Portugal, authorities are warning against any unnecessary travel due to the risk of traffic lights failing.

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A grid failure in Europe could cause cascading blackouts. Image used courtesy of NASA

Researchers have recently warned how vulnerabilities in the European power grid could cause a domino effect leading to large-scale blackouts.

Portugal’s grid operator REN said that “extreme temperature variations” had produced a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” that caused the cuts.

A lack of wind and Spain’s reliance on turbines for power could also be a factor in the blackouts.
The weather system that has left Spain bereft of wind is also having similar effects across the rest of Western Europe with the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and others all seeking extra sources of electricity as their wind turbines fall still.

[Black Orchid]

You'd have to be a special sort of stupid to rely on wind turbines.