Thick, heavy clouds and little to no wind are in the forecast for the UK this weekend. The Germans call this type of weather “Dunkelflaute”, which literally means dark wind stillness or lull. Meteorologists prefer the term anticyclonic gloom.
Such weather conditions are hardly unusual this time of year, but they present a problem: the lack of wind means very little renewable energy will be generated from turbines, at the same time as winter ramps up demand for power as the lights come on earlier.
Wind power contributed just over a quarter of the total electricity generated in Britain over the last few months, according to National Grid data, but that will drop to sharply as “Dunkelflaute” hits.
“It’s the first test,” says Tony Jordan from energy consultancy Auxilione. “When there’s a lack of wind it puts the rest of the generation under pressure. So we need to turn to other fuels to generate power, mostly gas normally. So it pushes the cost of generation up.”
There will be more pressure on the system than usual, increasing the likelihood that the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) will have to activate emergency plans to avoid blackouts, such as paying people to use less energy or encouraging large industrial users to ease off on demand.
“There’s been this huge debate about if we have cold weather in winter in Britain and France at the same time what will happen to the interconnectors,” Porter says, referencing the large undersea cables that trade power back and forth with the continent.
There are fears France could suck electricity from Britain at a time of need if cold weather hits on both sides of the Channel at the same time. However, Porter believes each side would in practice try and look after its own supplies. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/…/why-dunkelflaute-means…/

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