Today's Dunkelflaute, A Reminder

When I started this post, 1st December 2023, I had just done my regular (semi-daily) trip around the Chat Walk, under a leaden sky, with absolutely no wind, a weather condition that quite frequently occurs in mid-winter and, when it does, it tends to linger for an extended period - dead calm, very cold, lots of home heating switched on, lights coming on early. 

At such times, solar and wind energy are at their minimum, at the very time we need them most.

On the morning of 3rd December - to everyone's surprise - quite heavy overnight snow had given us a local view very much like this impression of a Solar Park future, Rick Gill Muskham Facebook post, another cold, overcast, zero wind morning.

The German word for such a condition is dunkelflaute – the power grid engineers’ nightmare. What do you do when it’s cold, there's no sunshine, and no wind … and you’ve given up on coal, gas, etc An excellent Deutsche Welle documentary clip explains. The whole documentary is worth watching, but – on a day of dunkelflaute like today – this bit really makes you think. Stick around till a German engineer gets put on the spot, his reply is ....

Up there in National Grid HQ have to find an alternative source for all the solar and wind energy they might normally count on being available, otherwise there would be disruptions of power supply.

There are two broad types of "alternative":-

1. energy stored from renewables that can be quickly released
2. energy from "conventional" sources like coal, gas and nuclear fission - but, contrary to expectation none of these can be switched off/on instantly

--- More to be added here as the project advances ----

Having checked the weather forecast, I'd arranged to do a second 'Solar Park Walk' for the morning of 3rd December, which was expected to be cold but dry. Given the surprisingly heavy snow, there wasn't really time to make sure everyone would see a cancellation message, I donned Arctic-suitable gear and arrived at the MRCC, not really expecting anyone - but there, just in case. Just as well, I was pleased to see James, one of my grandchildren, turn up.