Preface: MADRID/LISBON, April 28 (Reuters) – Power started returning to parts of the Iberian peninsula late on Monday after a huge outage brought most of Spain and Portugal to a standstill, grounding planes, halting public transport, and forcing hospitals to suspend routine operations.
Background: The recent widespread power outage in Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France was indeed attributed to a rare atmospheric phenomenon. The initial reports suggested that “induced atmospheric vibration” might have been the cause. This term refers to oscillations in the power lines caused by extreme changes in temperature or air pressure, leading to synchronization failures in the electrical grid.
Technical focus: The term “induced atmospheric vibration” refers to oscillations in power lines caused by extreme atmospheric conditions, such as significant temperature changes or strong winds . These oscillations can affect the stability of the electrical grid.To simplify, imagine the power lines as giant coils. When the atmosphere changes rapidly, it can cause these coils to vibrate or oscillate. This vibration can lead to synchronization issues in the power grid, making it unstable and potentially causing outages.
Synchronization issues in the power grid often refer to the phase angle differences between the voltage waveforms of different parts of the grid. When the phase angles are not in sync, it means that the peaks and troughs of the voltage waveforms are not aligned, which can lead to instability in the grid.
In simpler terms, think of the power grid as a large orchestra. For the music (electricity) to flow smoothly, all the instruments (generators) need to play in harmony (synchronization). If one instrument is out of sync, it disrupts the harmony, causing issues.
The term “cos phi” (cosine of the phase angle) refers to the power factor, which is a measure of how effectively the electrical power is being used. When the phase angles are not aligned, the power factor deviates from its optimal value, leading to inefficiencies and potential disruptions
Headline News: Please refer to the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/large-parts-spain-portugal-hit-by-power-outage-2025-04-28/