EuroOutage?

[Markus Becker]

13 hours ago, RETAC21 said:

My suspicion is that the guy responsible will be kicked out and be left at that.

Or it will get exotic and blame will be shifted to "Russian hackers" because why not.

Spain ‘ignored numerous warnings about blackouts due to renewables’

Spain was warned well before the outage across the Iberian Peninsula that it risked severe energy blackouts due to its reliance on renewable energy, it has been disclosed.

 

https://brusselssignal.eu/2025/04/spain-ignored-numerous-warnings-about-blackouts-due-to-renewables/

[RETAC21]

1 minute ago, Markus Becker said:

Spain ‘ignored numerous warnings about blackouts due to renewables’

Spain was warned well before the outage across the Iberian Peninsula that it risked severe energy blackouts due to its reliance on renewable energy, it has been disclosed.

 

https://brusselssignal.eu/2025/04/spain-ignored-numerous-warnings-about-blackouts-due-to-renewables/

No surprises there, our Energy Minister claims there's no natural resources like Uranium in Spain...

"In November 2021, the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) rejected Berkeley's NSC II application following an unfavourable report issued by Spain’s Nuclear Safety Council (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, CSN). ...

The Salamanca project has 59.8 million pounds U3O8 (23,000 tU) of measured and indicated resources as well as inferred resources of 29.6 million pounds of U3O8. 

The 1600 tonnes of uranium used in Spain each year is imported."

https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-o-s/spain

It's not only that they are sectarian ideologues, it's also that they are idiots.

[sunday]

10 hours ago, rmgill said:

Haha. Ask your Cuban cousins for tips...

Here, we're used to severe weather that knocks down pine trees and those knock down power lines. Snow, heavy storms. We've had windy days that have the reclosers acting repeatedly and it echos around the area as you hear the DNNNNT....DNNNNT....DNNNNNT.....POW! as the fuse links blow. 

So, recommendations. 

Bees wax candles are quite nice, but burn quckly. Use em for special occasions. 
More regular candles are good too. 

Oil lamps, either the victorian glass ones with chimneys are nice for static locations.

For moving around the house older Dietz lamps are the cats pajamas. Feuerhand are good, western made. 
 

 

This LED version of the Feuerhand lantern is exceedingly cute, plus it could use Li-ion 18650 batteries of the kind used by vaping devices, and a full charged set of two, 3,500mAh batteries, could provide up to 18 days of light.

https://feuerhand.com/products/led-lantern-baby-special-276

However, I think it is equivalent to a cordless work light, functionality wise, thus the general design and construction are overkill. It is safer for use indoors, yes, but then it loses the advantages of being able to use easy to store liquid fuel.

[Steven P Allen]

We're used to power outages hereabouts, some lasting considerably longer than this event.  they aren't as widespread, if course, but that fact makes little difference to those in the dark.  Lots of good advice here.  One not yet noted--probably because of the largely urban character of TN--is the use of propane for heat and cooking.  No problem keeping warm for us or preparing food.  Were I sufficiently rich, I'd have a propane-fired generator.  That's a goal but not near-term, for now.

[rmgill]

11 hours ago, RETAC21 said:

Great ideas if you don't mind your house burning down.

Just buy batteries (rechargable and classic) and flashlights or LED lights that will give you the same autonomy and better light. I am no survivalist, but with 2 kids I have flashlights and batteries galore, plus you get one of this things:

plus a handheld radio and a jetboil

And Bob is your uncle.

 

Wait, unpressurized lamps are a fire hazard, but a tippy, pressurized butane stove is not? 

Frankly, a non-explosive oil is FAR better as a fuel than something that turns to a gas, sinks to the lowest part of the area it's in and becomes an open spark flame source. 

 

[rmgill]

10 hours ago, sunday said:

This LED version of the Feuerhand lantern is exceedingly cute, plus it could use Li-ion 18650 batteries of the kind used by vaping devices, and a full charged set of two, 3,500mAh batteries, could provide up to 18 days of light.

https://feuerhand.com/products/led-lantern-baby-special-276

However, I think it is equivalent to a cordless work light, functionality wise, thus the general design and construction are overkill. It is safer for use indoors, yes, but then it loses the advantages of being able to use easy to store liquid fuel.

As a data center power systems guy, I am EXCEEDINGLY skeptical of the durability of Lithium chemistry batteries and their ability to withstand temperature extremes or damage. I only use high quality CR123s and Makita batteries personally. 

I'd much rather clean up a spilled can of lamp oil than I would deal with a Lithium battery in thermal runaway. A Jug of lamp fuel won't decide to blow up if it gets some water vapor in it. 

[Ivanhoe]

40 minutes ago, rmgill said:

As a data center power systems guy, I am EXCEEDINGLY skeptical of the durability of Lithium chemistry batteries and their ability to withstand temperature extremes or damage. I only use high quality CR123s and Makita batteries personally. 

People are very happy with the 18650 cells. I've avoided going down that road but there's enough market inertia that the 18650s, and probably the 18350s, are here to stay.

Sooner or later I will leave SureFire behind and go with Modlites, both for rifle (in Minecraft) and handheld. Painfully pricy, though.

I'm a bit queasy about larger Li-ion batteries. Fishermen are using motorcycle-sized  Li-ion batteries to run their trolling motors, and I have yet to read of a bassboat fire. Still, that's a lot of potential energy in a small package. If I had to have a whole-house battery bank, I'd want it in an outbuilding, not the garage.

[RETAC21]

53 minutes ago, rmgill said:

Wait, unpressurized lamps are a fire hazard, but a tippy, pressurized butane stove is not? 

Frankly, a non-explosive oil is FAR better as a fuel than something that turns to a gas, sinks to the lowest part of the area it's in and becomes an open spark flame source. 

 

Are you going to leave the stove unattended while cooking? 

 

[RETAC21]

1 minute ago, Ivanhoe said:

People are very happy with the 18650 cells. I've avoided going down that road but there's enough market inertia that the 18650s, and probably the 18350s, are here to stay.

Sooner or later I will leave SureFire behind and go with Modlites, both for rifle (in Minecraft) and handheld. Painfully pricy, though.

I'm a bit queasy about larger Li-ion batteries. Fishermen are using motorcycle-sized  Li-ion batteries to run their trolling motors, and I have yet to read of a bassboat fire. Still, that's a lot of potential energy in a small package. If I had to have a whole-house battery bank, I'd want it in an outbuilding, not the garage.

If you are going to power the whole house, then go solar and be done with it.

[Ivanhoe]

For "shelter-in-place" food, I figure my best bet is canned foods that can be eaten cold or simply warmed up on an alcohol stove. Baked beans, chili, corned beef hash, that sort of thing.

And given an indoor stove of sorts, a plain ol' kettle and tea bags and some sort of coffee maker (French press for me). I have a hand-crank grinder, in the garage. Somewhere.

Ironically, my little cowtown is beset by a thundersquall ATM, so I'm just waiting for the siren song of the UPSes to sound off.

 

[Markus Becker]

On 5/1/2025 at 11:01 AM, RETAC21 said:

No surprises there, our Energy Minister claims there's no natural resources like Uranium in Spain...

"In November 2021, the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) rejected Berkeley's NSC II application following an unfavourable report issued by Spain’s Nuclear Safety Council (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, CSN). ...

The Salamanca project has 59.8 million pounds U3O8 (23,000 tU) of measured and indicated resources as well as inferred resources of 29.6 million pounds of U3O8. 

The 1600 tonnes of uranium used in Spain each year is imported."

https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-o-s/spain

It's not only that they are sectarian ideologues, it's also that they are idiots.

Our Greens try the same BS: Uranium from Russia? YGTBFSM! 

The actual Uranium supply:

 

 

 

[sunday]

On December 30th, 1981 there was a blackout that affected half of Spain during three hours.

Next morning, December 31st, 1981, the causes of the blackout were known and were published.

Source in Spanish

Each day that passes without the Spanish Government providing information is one day more for the rotten smell to grow.

I bet that, were they minimally able to put the blame on nuke generation, we would be inundated with that spin.

[Murph]

Yeah the Green New Scam bit Europe hard.

[RETAC21]

Pertinent: 

 

Edited May 3, 2025 by RETAC21

[Steven P Allen]

On 5/1/2025 at 3:37 PM, RETAC21 said:

If you are going to power the whole house, then go solar and be done with it.

Given that power outages tend to occur during really bad weather, solar is unattractive.  Relying only on any one power source is a problem.

[seahawk]

And your set up needs to be fully isolated and stand alone operations capable.

[RETAC21]

2 hours ago, Steven P Allen said:

Given that power outages tend to occur during really bad weather, solar is unattractive.  Relying only on any one power source is a problem.

Yes, you are right, I realized that for a USian audience, this may not be ideal, which leads to buying a generator with at least, 3 days of fuel supply.

[rmgill]

There are companies that make generators that will work on gasoline, natural gas and propane. With fitting for all three. 

[Stuart Galbraith]

On 5/4/2025 at 5:01 AM, rmgill said:

There are companies that make generators that will work on gasoline, natural gas and propane. With fitting for all three. 

Why not go the whole hog and make it run on everything?

 

[sunday]

Meanwhile, in the western slice of the Peninsule...

[RETAC21]

3 hours ago, sunday said:

Meanwhile, in the western slice of the Peninsule...

So, like ova here, where people rushed out of the office to go to the bars and saved all that beer from the risk of being warm.

[Soren Ras]

1 hour ago, RETAC21 said:

 people rushed out of the office to go to the bars and saved all that beer from the risk of being warm.

Well, you gotta contribute where you can. Not contributing to panic, trying to stay somewhat hydrated, ensuring caloric intake needed to stay alive, freeing up cooling space for other essential items (like the next beer) and generally being calm and easily locatable in case of an emergency. This all sounds reasonable enough.

[RETAC21]

29 minutes ago, Soren Ras said:

Well, you gotta contribute where you can. Not contributing to panic, trying to stay somewhat hydrated, ensuring caloric intake needed to stay alive, freeing up cooling space for other essential items (like the next beer) and generally being calm and easily locatable in case of an emergency. This all sounds reasonable enough.

Unless, like me, you are isolated in the only island with light, air conditioning, comms and work... and get to see the people in the bars emptying the beer stocks! 😰

[Ivanhoe]

Reminiscent of the multi-generational natives of the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The videos I've seen, a lot of them have pre-cut plywood covers for their windows, a fully charged drill/driver, and wood screws. Brrrt, brrt, brrt, then set up the bar for mixed drinks. ISTR one gent with a battery-powered blender for margaritas.

 

[Ivanhoe]