Until recently, blackouts were a popular topic for screenwriters of disaster films, science fiction and romantic comedies. However, it is possible that they will soon become our reality, although perhaps for different reasons than in the 1980s. How to prepare for such an eventuality?
What is a blackout?
A blackout is a major power outage that covers a larger area. It causes power outages that may last from a few minutes to several dozen hours . During this time, all electrical devices in homes, public buildings and production plants, as well as the infrastructure powered by electricity - refrigerators, cash registers, traffic lights, and even the water and sewage network - stop working. The result of a blackout may be an interrupted concert or shopping, as well as road blocks or lack of water and heating.
Blackout may occur as a result of violent weather phenomena, such as strong winds or storms, but also low or high temperatures. It may also be caused by a power plant failure or a sudden increase in electricity demand.
Blackout – increasingly likely on a local scale
The risk of a long-term blackout throughout Poland is low. The energy system is quite well protected against interruption of power supply to consumers. However, local power outages may occur more and more often, affecting one town, commune or district. The demand for energy is growing and, at the same time , climate change is taking place, which increases the frequency of extreme atmospheric phenomena . The situation is further complicated by the shift away from fossil fuels in favor of less stable renewable energy sources, although the prospect of a coal shortage seems to be a bigger problem in Poland at the moment. Disturbances in the energy system may therefore be felt by each of us, and there is a chance that they will become even more severe in the upcoming heating season.
Check out the UPS power supplies in the Onninen offer
How to protect yourself against a power failure?
As indicated by the Government Center for Security, in the event of a long-term power outage, the basic security measures are water and food supplies, candles and a flashlight . However, it is also worth ensuring you have emergency energy sources. This is done, for example, by factories, hospitals, airports and server rooms. For home use, you can use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). In the event of a power outage , the UPS will maintain power for several or several minutes , giving you time to restore power or safely turn off sensitive devices such as computers. Alternatively, the UPS provides a time buffer to start the generator. There are also small UPS units available on the market, among others Eaton 3S Mini , designed to maintain the operation of small devices, such as routers or phone chargers. They provide emergency power, and thus access to the network and messages, even for several hours.
We are used to having access to energy 24 hours a day, without restrictions. However, it is worth being prepared for a sudden loss of power. This also applies to those who have a photovoltaic installation on their roof. If there is no energy in the home network, the inverter that converts direct current from the panels into alternating current, such as in the power grid, will not work. A UPS power supply will protect your home equipment against the effects of a blackout. It constantly monitors the power flow and in the event of a power failure, it immediately automatically takes over the role of the electrical network, ensuring a constant supply of electricity.
Rafał Brzuska, Product Manager at Eaton
Which UPS should I choose for my home?
In the vast majority of cases, in the event of a blackout, we will only want to provide emergency power in the form of UPS power supplies to a certain group of key electrical loads . A UPS capable of powering an entire house would involve huge costs for a household and the need to allocate a significant amount of space, which will usually prove to be justified. If, despite everything, we need to secure the continuity of energy supply for a long time, e.g. because we live in a place exposed to frequent and long power outages, it is worth considering a home generator instead.
Using a UPS power supply , it is certainly worth protecting such loads as home equipment used for work and entertainment, i.e. computers and audio/video equipment. On the one hand, it ensures the safe completion of everyday tasks, without the risk of data loss or damage to media , and also allows you to stay in touch with the outside world. Compact "computer" power supplies, such as: Eaton Ellipse PRO UPS power supply . You should also definitely consider emergency power supply for basic security devices , such as gate drives or surveillance cameras. It is also common and good practice to use a dedicated UPS for the central heating furnace in the boiler room. In such cases, the required backup time is much longer than the standard few minutes for smaller devices. Users' expectations in this respect will be met by power supplies with the function of connecting additional external batteries, such as the series of on-line UPSs with a pure sine wave at the output. UPS Eaton 9E .
UPS – the best solution for a blackout
The UPS protects against power failures, but also against surges or voltage fluctuations in the network. Many of these devices constantly monitor network parameters and energy consumption levels . This can help predict a situation in which we will run out of electricity and even save energy. Identifying devices that consume the most energy allows you to better plan their work and encourages you to turn off the equipment more often or replace it with more energy-efficient ones.
If a blackout is to occur in our area, we cannot avoid it. This is an event of too large a scale to permanently immunize a house or plant against it. However, you can be prepared not to lose valuable information or a heat source in the event of a power outage. Modern technological solutions come to the rescue, among which it is easy to find products tailored to individual needs. Regardless, it's also a good idea to have a supply of candles or a kerosene lamp and keep them in a place where you can easily reach them even in the dark.