Dusseldorf The situation in the German power grid is tense this winter due to energy shortages and other factors. Energy suppliers and network operators vacillate between reassurance and warning. The head of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK) Ralph Tiesler recently caused a stir when he said in an interview with the “Welt am Sonntag”: “We have to assume that there will be blackouts in winter.” The head of the authorities clarified a short time later that there was a regional and temporary interruption to the power supply.
What exactly is a blackout, how is it different from a brownout, and why is the grid so tight in the first place? We provide answers to the most important questions.
Everyone has probably experienced a power failure in the traditional sense at home: Suddenly the fuses blow and nothing works anymore. Sometimes the power outage is limited to several houses, a few streets or even a small village or district.
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These cases are short power outages that can occur again and again. However, they are regionally limited and usually only last a few minutes or hours. Reasons can be maintenance work, overloads in the regional network or line accidents. In August, for example, a tractor drove into a high-voltage line stretched across a field in the Usedom region. The electricity in the region had to be shut down for the repairs.
Where can I report power outages?
On the website störsauskunft.de, the German network operators collect power failures and disruptions in the network. Every consumer can report here if the light suddenly goes out. In addition, there is a list of current power outages throughout Germany, including duration, reason and affected areas.
>> Also read: What can really happen in a blackout
What is a blackout?
A blackout occurs when the power supply is uncontrolled and interrupted for a long period of time. While a power outage is usually localized, a blackout affects much larger areas. Strictly speaking, a blackout describes the collapse of large parts of the entire European power grid. If there were a large-scale, unforeseeable power failure in Germany, this could lead to a blackout.
A blackout is not caused by a lack of power in the grid, but by disruptions in grid operation. They can be caused by natural disasters, terrorist attacks, cyber attacks or human error. For example, in 2006 there was a widespread blackout in parts of Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Austria and Spain. For more than 120 minutes, the power was gone from one moment to the next in some areas. The reason was a voting error in the planned shutdown of a power line for the transfer of a cruise ship.
What is a brownout?
If there is a foreseeable situation in the electricity grid in which more energy is consumed than electricity is produced, the transmission system operators will first use existing power plant reserves. If these are not sufficient, there is still the option of voluntary load shedding.
The flow of electricity to companies with whom this has been agreed in advance is cut off. Only when that is no longer sufficient would time-limited and pre-planned shutdowns be considered in extreme emergencies. These controlled shutdowns are called brownouts. Because: As much electricity must always be fed into the grid as is being consumed at that moment. If not enough electricity is available, the grid becomes unbalanced and collapses. This must be prevented.
With a percentage key based on the size of the consumers in the respective grid, the loads to be switched off are divided and passed on from the transmission grid to the distribution grid level. According to the transmission system operators, however, the shutdowns in the individual cities or areas remain manageable.
Should brownouts be necessary over a longer period of time in this country, one would rotate at most every four hours in one area, i.e. only disconnect and reconnect some of the customers to the grid at a time.
According to energy experts, brownouts could also be needed in Germany for the first time this winter to keep the grid stable. The risk of this increases from January and February, said BBK boss Tiesler. From then on, there could be interruptions in the power supply “in places for a certain period of time”.
>> Also read: Why Ukraine is now part of the European power grid despite the danger of cyber attacks
How secure is the German power supply?
Especially compared to other European countries, the power supply in Germany is one of the safest. According to the “System Average Interruption Duration Index”, almost no country has as few and short power outages as here.
In 2021, households in Germany had to go without electricity for an average of 12.7 minutes. “There have never been any large-scale, long-lasting power failures – so-called blackouts – in Germany. These remain very unlikely,” the federal government clarifies on its website.
Why is the situation particularly tense this winter?
No gas from Russia, too little nuclear power from France and less coal-fired power than hoped: Germany’s energy supply is facing major challenges this winter.
The biggest uncertainty factor is France. The European neighbor is one of Germany’s most important electricity partners. For months, however, the country has had major problems with its nuclear power plants. More kilns than expected are being repaired, maintenance sometimes takes longer or defects have been discovered and repairs are taking a long time. This is not good news for France: after all, the majority of people there heat with electricity. This winter, the country could therefore be dependent on electricity imports from other countries if the nuclear power plants are still not working as usual.
>> Read here: France is ramping up its nuclear power plants again – and wants to speed up the construction of new reactors
The fluctuations in France could also push the power grid in this country to the limit. After all, the countries are all connected to one another via the European interconnected grid.
But before there are uncontrolled and long-lasting blackouts in this country, the controlled load shedding mentioned above would first be used to keep the German power grid stable and thus prevent a blackout.
So how likely is a blackout?
The Federal Network Agency said: “The situation is definitely more complex than in previous years.” Nevertheless, the supervisory authority and transmission system operators such as Amprion and 50Hertz consider a blackout to be “very unlikely”.
The competent Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) also emphasizes that Germany basically has a very secure power supply. “The electrical power supply system is designed with multiple redundancies and has numerous safety mechanisms to stabilize the power grid in the event of disruptions,” the authority wrote on Twitter.
According to the results of the stress test commissioned by the federal government, the transmission system operator Amprion states: “Even based on the worst scenario we examined, a blackout is not to be expected.”
clarification of #BBK:
A large-scale power failure in Germany is extremely unlikely. The electrical energy supply system is designed with multiple redundancies and has numerous safety mechanisms to stabilize the power grid in the event of disruptions. 1/3— BBK (@BBK_Bund) November 20, 2022
How do I behave in the event of a power failure?
However, even with a conventional power failure, there are a few things to keep in mind so as not to endanger your own safety. The first rule is to remain calm. In addition, it makes sense to inquire about the extent of the failure, writes the long-distance network operator Westenergie: Is it just one floor – or is it the whole house? Does the neighbor also have no electricity?
Reporting the incident helps network operators to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. They also advise you to unplug electronic devices from the sockets to avoid damage when the power supply is restored. Once power is restored, all appliances and fuses should be checked for defects.
How do I prepare for a prolonged power outage?
Power outages are usually resolved within a few hours. But last year, thousands of citizens in the Ahr Valley found out that emergency situations can also occur without a blackout. Parts of the population had to get by without electricity for several weeks. Then private provision is important.
The BBK advisor can provide security in an emergency. In the event of longer power outages, the authority advises having flashlights, candles or camping lanterns to hand as light sources. However, it is important to ventilate regularly, despite possible heating failures, in order to supply yourself with sufficient oxygen.
Laptops and mobile phones should be charged if possible, writes the BBK. A spare power bank in the drawer can extend the battery life of the mobile phone. In order to be informed about current events and a possible end to the power failure, households can also purchase battery or crank radios.
Because banks and ATMs can also be affected by a large-scale power outage, the authority advises having cash on hand. In addition, a basic supply should be ensured: drinking water, food, baby food and possibly pet food.
Blackout, Brownout & Co.: Will a power outage also affect shops, hospitals and schools?
If the power fails over a large area, this can force supermarkets, gas stations or trams to temporarily stop operating. Hospitals are supplied by emergency generators, so that life-sustaining measures, for example, do not have to be suspended.
The Ministry of Education in North Rhine-Westphalia wrote in a blog post in 2018 that a possible loss of lessons at schools due to a power failure is possible and falls into the category “hazard prevention/external events”.
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