Blackout. For many, this is some kind of mythical statement. Something that is talked about a lot, but no one has yet experienced it enough to start worrying. As it turned out, however, the problem has finally been properly addressed by politicians.
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In the pages of our company blog at Automation Trader, we have already addressed the issue of blackouts and their consequences several times. In 2021, the Government Security Center even prepared a special guide advising what to do in the event of a prolonged blackout, and this was another warning light.
No case
For there could be no coincidence. Almost exactly two years ago there was a major outage in Poland, and our country, having no choice, had to make emergency use of support from countries such as Sweden, Lithuania, Germany and Ukraine.
"Due to low wind generation and emergency and maintenance shutdowns of several generating units on 6/12/2021, there were difficulties in balancing the national power system. The balancing shortfall refers to the inability to meet the required level of power reserves." - the content of the announcement of the Polish Power Grid announced.
A few months earlier, in turn, there was a meeting of representatives of key ministries, as well as the top management of the Polish Power Grid. During it, advice was given on how to remedy the problems, which will only grow in the long term.
It is also no secret that after 2025, i.e. when the capacity market for old coal-fired power plants is scheduled to expire, we may face a very serious problem.
It is necessary to act
It seemed that it was necessary to move on to action, but it took another two years before we got concrete. However, the government has finally adopted a special regulation on the list of investments accompanying the reconstruction of power lines that are elements of the distribution network with a voltage equal to or higher than 110kV.
As we can read in the text of the ordinance, "the development of investment projects related to the reconstruction of the distribution network is crucial for the implementation of the strategic goals indicated in the document Energy Policy of Poland until 2040, adopted by the government already in 2021."
So we're preparing as a country, but businesses - the big ones and the slightly smaller ones - should also be preparing about securing their energy supply. Waiting for specific legal notices is one thing, but it's also worth acting on our own to avoid a situation where we're put up against the wall.
Bet on the right equipment
Fortunately, many already know full well that the game is worth the candle and prefer to invest today for the comfort and security of tomorrow. Something that can provide them is B&R's so-called Blackout Mode, which provides a full set of features in case of a network failure. The whole thing is supported by the new SafeLogic X20SL8191 safety controllers and SafeIO modules with reACTION technology, and ensures that operations can continue in the event of a total power outage.
However, this is not the only option to ensure your safety. It's also worth remembering the uninterruptible power supplies that can be found in Automation Trader's inventory, which, in the event of a sudden power outage in your home or business, will help you avoid costly problems associated with the breakdown of various equipment.
All thanks to the topology of such power supplies. Line-Interactive and built-in AVR voltage regulation module provide additional assurance that slight deviations in output current will not harm even sensitive equipment, while the low switching time of the APC BX 1100CI-CN power supply allows you to instantly change the power source to the built-in battery.
Securing yourself against the worst, however, is only one side of the coin. The other is that this black scenario will simply occur. The question is with what magnitude, and will such a power system collapse exceed the scale that European countries will be able to cope with?
- "It's going to get worse and worse in Europe every year," said Professor Wladyslaw Mielczarski of the Technical University of Lodz during an interview with Rzeczpospolita.
