Blackout Europe, risks to be assessed | FormulaPassion.it

Is there really a possibility that humanity’s great demand for energy can be supported by renewable sources? The scientific world has already established that the goal is achievable: a recent study established that wind and solar could meet more than 80% of the demand in many places around the world without having to worry too much about storage and reserves. However, there is concern in terms of transition: in the transition to renewables there may even be general blackouts.

We read in the Sole 24 Ore: “The European and Italian electricity systems are exposed to the fragility of the green transition. There are currently no scheduled detachments or blackouts in sight (like the one that happened days ago in Berlin with hundreds of thousands of people left in the cold for hours) but the risk is around the corner and experts call for caution for the next few months: from the warnings of Copasir (the Parliamentary Committee for the safety of the Republic) to the clarifications of a study by Alessandro Clerici of the World Energy Council presented in December at a webinar of Entsoe, the European association of high voltage networks, the indications they are unique. Pay attention to perfect storm, they say“.

The problem is the too slow growth of renewables. Partly because they are not yet exploited to their full potential, and also because of their ungovernable nature. For example, in Germany two atomic reactors were shut down, but in their place the wind did not produce enough energy: so coal and methane remained at stake. In this case we speak of wind drought. In the nearby France, nuclear power plants need intensive maintenance, and therefore there will be less energy available. In general, large coal plants (super polluting but stable) are being replaced with small ones. The risk of blackout, therefore, increases mathematically. Even if it is not yet the case to launch alarms, inconveniences are possible as happens in all periods of great energy renewal,

According to Clerici, “to counteract the variability and intermittency of wind and solar plants, around 16 million kilowatt hours of battery storage systems are expected in 2050, as well as significant support from the batteries of millions of electric vehicles when connected to the grid. However, no device connected via inverter can make a contribution to the short circuit power and inertia of the electrical system needed to control rapid frequency changes and overall stability“.

In Italy, Terna is setting up 25 huge synchronous generators, colossal electric motors that spin very heavy flywheels: these machines, together with the 200 network regulators, are capable of sustaining the high voltage for those 20-30 milliseconds before a short circuit, a fault or an accident puts in the dark half of Europe. This is one of the measures taken to meet the transition. In 2021 Italy closed the large coal-fired power plants of Enel di Fusina 1 and Fusina 2 in Venice and La Spezia, started the closure of Monfalcone of the A2A, the exits of other large plants such as Brindisi Cerano are scheduled . Turbogas plants will have to be renewed. Obviously, investments are needed to requalify the entire energy sector and reacquire the same watts necessary to sustain demand constantly and without stopping.