What can really happen in a blackout

Fear of power failure

Are blackout worries justified? How stable is the German power grid this winter?

(Photo: Getty Images [M])

Pulheim On a normal sunny day, the production of solar power in Germany is bell-shaped: the photovoltaic systems supply the first power at sunrise, the amount generated increases at midday, then slowly falls again until the evening. Not so on October 25, 2022, which was sunny but not normal.

On that autumn day, the moon moved a little bit in front of the sun, and there was a brief partial eclipse of the sun. But long enough for the effect to show up as a clear dent in the graphics on the monitors of the electricity network operator Amprion. “We see the solar eclipse reduction,” said Christoph Schneiders, head of the company’s so-called main control center.

Less sun, less solar power – a simple equation. However, the requirements at Amprion are significantly more complex. The grid operator must monitor a variety of factors and a variety of energy sources. Working in the background every day, it ensures that the power grid remains stable.

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