Outline:
The electricity has largely been restored in Spain, Portugal, and southern France following a large-scale power outage on Monday that
led to widespread disruption affecting tens of millions of individuals. The incident disabled traffic signals and automated teller machines, brought public transportation to a standstill, interrupted telephone services, and left numerous people in difficult situations.
trapped in trains
and elevators.
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, stated that the precise reason for the power outage remains unclear. Initially, reports suggested that Portugal’s grid operator REN attributed the incident to an uncommon occurrence called “induced atmospheric vibration.” However, REN is now reported to have withdrawn this claim.
Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian,
The Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, stated
Leaves are a significant factor leading to interruptions in power supplies. In the US, from 2000 to 2021, 83% of documented outages were linked to weather conditions.
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Professor
Seyedmahmoudian told
The Conversation
: “
There are numerous ways in which weather conditions can impact electricity supplies. Cyclones might cause transmission lines to fail, heatwaves can overload the power grid, and bushfires have the potential to destroy substations entirely.
Wind can lead to vibration in transmission lines too. Such vibrations fall into two categories: they might be of high magnitude but occur at a slow rate (‘conductor galloping’), or they could have minimal intensity yet happen very frequently (‘aeolian vibrations’).
These vibrations pose a considerable challenge for grid operators as they can impose extra strain on the grid infrastructure, which might result in power outages.
To minimise the risk of vibration, grid operators frequently employ wire stabilizers referred to as “stockbridge dampers”.
What does ‘induced atmospheric vibration’ mean?
Extreme fluctuations in temperature or air pressure can lead to vibrations in power lines, according to reports.
Professor
Seyedmahmoudian
.
The Guardian first reported that Portugal’s REN stated: “
Because of the significant fluctuations in temperatures within Spain’s interior, unusual vibrations occurred in the ultra-high voltage lines (400 kV). This effect is referred to as “induced atmospheric vibration”. Such movements resulted in sync issues among power grids, which then triggered cascading disruptions throughout Europe’s linked electricity networks.
Professor
Seyedmahmoudian said: “I
Induced atmospheric vibration isn’t a widely recognized phrase, but it probably refers to phenomena related to atmospheric dynamics that climatologists have been familiar with for many years.
It appears to describe wave-like motions or fluctuations in the air, brought about by abrupt shifts in temperature or pressure. Such phenomena may result from severe warming, major energy discharges like those occurring during explosions or wildfires, or powerful meteorological occurrences.
When a portion of the Earth’s surface rapidly increases in temperature — say during a heatwave — the air above it gets warmer, expands, and becomes less dense. This ascending warm air leads to an uneven distribution of atmospheric pressure compared to the adjacent cooler, heavier air around it. In response to this discrepancy, the environment produces waves similar to those observed when stones drop into still water.
These pressure waves have the ability to move through the atmosphere. Sometimes, they may come into contact with power infrastructure — notably long-distance, high-voltage transmission lines.
These kinds of atmospheric waves are typically referred to as gravity waves, thermal oscillations, or acoustic-gravity waves. Although the term “induced atmospheric vibration” isn’t officially recognised in meteorology, it appears to encompass this particular group of events.
The key point is that elevated temperatures themselves aren’t solely responsible for these impacts; rather, it’s the rapid and irregular shifts in temperature across an area that stir up atmospheric conditions and may lead to vibrations in power lines. Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether this phenomenon explains the recent blackout in Europe.
Grasping the behaviour of the atmosphere under such circumstances is gaining greater significance. With our energy networks becoming more integrated and reliant on far-reaching distribution, even minor atmospheric disruptions can result in disproportionately large effects. A phenomenon that was previously considered marginal is now emerging as a crucial element in maintaining power-grid robustness.
As environmental and electrical stresses mount, centralized energy systems become perilously susceptible. The escalating electrification of structures, the swift adoption of electric vehicles, along with the incorporation of variable renewable power sources, exert unparalleled strain on conventional grids not originally conceived for such levels of intricacy, volatility, or consolidation.
Persisting with dependence on centralized grid systems without substantially reconsidering resilience endangers whole areas—not merely due to technical malfunctions, but also because of environmental instability.
To prevent these devastating risks, the solution is evident: we should adopt cutting-edge approaches like community microgrids. These systems form decentralised, adaptable, and robust power grids capable of functioning autonomously whenever necessary.
Bolstering community control over energy is essential for developing a robust, cost-effective, and forward-looking electrical infrastructure.
The European power outage, irrespective of its proximate reason, highlights how fragile our electricity networks have become. If we fail to tackle these underlying vulnerabilities, the repercussions will be significantly more severe than those encountered during the COVID-19 crisis.