What if? What if mechanical failure at a single point would automatically and instantaneously communicate to nearby nodes that a shutdown was necessary to prevent a truly widespread blackout? If that were possible, power outages like the September 8, 15-hour blackout that affected an estimated 5 million customers, from southern California and Arizona to northern Continue reading →
blackout
When electricity supplies were tight in Texas earlier this month, some consumers were able to conserve without any thought. Their electricity companies adjusted their thermostats for them. The engineers who run electricity grids in Texas and around the world say that type of automatic conservation could be the magic that keeps the lights on, lowers Continue reading →
“Heat-related underground cable failures.” They’re the type of problem that can take out power for thousands or tens of thousands of electricity customers when people need it most: during oppressively hot weather that quickly turns non-air-conditioned offices and apartments into Easy-Bake Ovens. A Pepco failure of that sort, for example, left nearly 2,000 customers in Continue reading →
On August 14, 2003, the Northeastern and Midwestern United States were hit by the biggest blackout in the nation’s history. In total, approximately 55 million people lost power—all because of an overloaded power line in Ohio (it was a hot day) that made contact with some overgrown trees and shut down, creating a domino effect Continue reading →
Not able to adequately handle peak load demand this afternoon, Con Edison is — at the moment — trying to avoid a blackout by resorting to emergency measures. The company has resorted to calling customers multiple times (automated calls were placed at 4:28 p.m. and again at 6:39 p.m.) asking customers to reduce demand (i.e., Continue reading →
In the hour before the August 2003 Northeast Power Blackout, frontline control room operators battled an electronic storm of confusion and situational blindness, never seeing the cascading grid failure bearing down on them. Michael Legatt, a graduate student and amateur ham radio operator in White Plains, N.Y., spent the aftermath of the blackout working with Continue reading →
The first tangible evidence of the smart grid in Minnesota is coming this summer, and it looks like a small, black mailbox. The box, called a “synchrophasor,” is a high-tech sensor that monitors the flow of electricity humming across hundreds of miles of highvoltage transmission lines. By sending more information faster, the devices could help Continue reading →
Plugging in an all-electric car today may blow the fuse box in your home or even black out the neighborhood — and your utility has no way to anticipate or prevent it. Utilities, car companies, “smart meter” startups and others are struggling to make sure that tomorrow is different. via Electric cars crash into grid Continue reading →
To my mind this is the best overview of what constitutes the smart grid. The video was made by a really smart guy at Kepco, the South Korean firm, Korea Electric Power Corporation. It’s in English, so no need to worry about the language!
If you haven’t heard yet, a massive blackout Tuesday night plundered much of Brazil into darkness. The blackout began around 10:15 pm on Tuesday night and lasted in some areas till about 2:45 am Wednesday morning. The blackout also effected Paraguay but on a much smaller scale with power being restored after about 15 minutes. Continue reading →
On the afternoon of Thursday August 14, 2003 some 50+ million people in eight states and the province of Ontario lost power. Known as the Northeast Blackout of 2003, this event was the largest blackout in North American history. According to Scientific American, the blackout caused 11 deaths and cost approximately $6 billion. The events Continue reading →
The future of green electric energy is coming Tuesday to northwest Queens. A $6 million pilot program featuring high-tech methods to streamline electricity flow will be unveiled by Consolidated Edison in neighborhoods hit by a massive blackout three summers ago. The “smart grid” program includes home meters that inform consumers about their energy use and Continue reading →
In Boulder, Colo., a surge of electricity on the power grid can largely go unnoticed. The grid is monitored electronically, so that if there are any sudden rushes or fallen power lines, electricity is automatically rerouted from one part of the system to another. This pilot project sounds simple enough—maybe even a little obvious. But Continue reading →
The modernization of our electricity infrastructure–the so-called Smart Grid revolution–is underway, and not a moment too soon. As an interesting overview in a recent Wired issue made clear, the grid was cobbled together in ad hoc fashion over the last century, and is largely one-way, mechanical and dumb. That’s why a storm in Ohio can Continue reading →
