Our electricity grid is facing serious challenges, with growing warnings around energy shortages and possible blackouts. According to the Government, we can be "reasonably confident" that the lights will stay on this winter, but we "cannot rule out" the possibility of electricity blackouts in Ireland over the next few years.

But what exactly is a blackout, and why do they occur? What can we learn from other countries that have experienced major blackouts? And why, in Ireland, one of the most developed countries in the world, are we facing the real possibility of electricity blackouts this winter?