OUTAGE CAUSE IS GRID RIDDLE

New York Post ^ | 8/15/03 | WILLIAM J. GORTA

[kattracks]

August 15, 2003 -- Officials were still puzzling last night over the cause of the yesterday's massive blackout that stretched from Ottawa to New Jersey and from Cleveland to Long Island.

Canadian officials said the outage was caused when lightning struck a power generating plant on the U.S. side of Niagara Falls, but officials on this side of the border quickly disputed the claim.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Do we have any power gurus who can explain about this whole notion of load distribution and how it affects separate power systems spread over hundreds of miles? I have always wondered why there aren't a set of switches that shut down transmission outside an area and keeps the capacity confined.

And on a funny note, imagine all the kids all over the Northeast, who got yelled at to not open the refrigerator last night.

[SolutionsOnly]

They obviously don't have a clue. They all seem to be in major finger pointing mode, with Chretien the first out of the gate!

[GRRRRR]

Operation TinFoil Alert:

A group of Islamofascist terrorists, operating quite easily in Canada, uses an SA-19 missile to strike the substation in Niagara. Under the cover of a rain storm, the explosion looks like a lightening strike.

Meanwhile, at the border...with no electricity, the US boarder gaurds are helpless to check all vehicles entering the US.

Two semitrailers, loaded with weapons and ASSEMBLED Fissile explosive devices slide through the boarder and head into the US...

Nothing is beyond the possible these days...

GRRRRR

[kittymyrib]

Notice...there are three grids: East, West and TEXAS!

[Gabrielle Reilly]

Here is a related thread on vulnerability.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/964366/posts?page=19




(Please ignore this link).
http://www.gabriellereillyweekly.com/full/statedepartment.html

[bets]

...still likely won't know why the fail-safe system didn't work, McGee said.

The fail-safe system included software. I've heard it rumored that a software "problem" could have caused the system to not work as intended. Otherwise, what made the software fail?

[j_tull]

"The Northeast is an area of tremendous congestion," says D'Arcy McGee

There's a freekin news flash, thanks D'Arcy that explains it all!

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

A few minutews ago, CNN Daybreak's Carol Costello was talking on air by phone to a "Con Ed spokesman" for about three minutes. He stated that the power should be back on everywhere in about 2 to 3 hours. She reacted to his statement about the power still not being on in many areas by one AM, like they were promised. He then said "would you bang Howard Stern?" She said "what". He repeated it. They cut of the caller and acted upset that they had been had.

[Sacajaweau]

I get the feeling that all the pioneers of this nation are roaring with laughter as they sleep. Most of us wished we had an old fashioned fireplace so we could make a damn pot of coffee and read a book.

As a side tidbit, my son called to wish me well as I went through "computer withdrawal".

[David Isaac]

It's odd, but in certain fields (especially education), the more they make improvements, the worse things get.

It will be amusing to see who wins the gold medal in the butt-covering event at the next olympics.

By the by, Your tag-line is really great. Belongs in the bathroom wall hall-of-fame (no slur intended). ROTFLMAO

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Otherwise, what made the software fail?

It was obviously a Micro$oft product....

[Monty22]

Foxnews just dropped dead and here's the dhue canned report! wtf!

[syriacus]

National Grid, is the world's largest independent transmission company with depth of experience in competitive energy markets in Europe. National Grid USA operates utility distribution companies in the Northeast. 

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

As I understand it, the system runs at near capacity with regard to the electrical load. When a generating leg somewhere fails, the load exceeds the generating capacity of the remaining power sources and automatic relays shut down the power sources to avoid damage to very expensive equipment.

I believe it would be theoretically as if your house clothes dryer circuit breaker tripped but the dryer was wired to pull the same current from other breakers in the panel which exceeded their ampere ratings and therefore they all tripped.

Of course, a house electrical panel isolates the loads of various devices and trips only a single breaker. In the national power grid system, load is only isolated between the three massive power grids. This allows convenient maintenance shut-down of individual power generators without affecting the ability to shift load to various sources but is also its great vulnerability and weakness.

The solution, though costly, would be to isolate more generating sources from each other so a single failure would not place an excessive load on the system.

Another lesson to the country is states which use more power than they generate create an inherent weakness.

Liberals have fiercely fought new power plant construction but always want more juice for their electrically-powered toys and conveniences. The people got what they deserve for demanding the moon and refusing to create a system to meet their own selfish demands.

[syriacus]

Maybe this is the software they have chosen for non-plant situations... and it probably isn't in effect yet, anyway.National Grid USA Selects PlanView Software

London - 16th May 2003: PlanView, the leader in integrated portfolio, project and resource management and processes web software, has announced that National Grid USA has chosen PlanView's enterprise project management solution. National Grid USA will use PlanView's integrated tools to provide improved processes, more accurate metrics and better decision making within its IT department.

Besides providing electricity distribution and transmission to 3.2 million customers in New York and New England, National Grid USA also has subsidiaries engaged in natural gas distribution, construction and leasing of telecommunications infrastructure, and energy-related consulting. National Grid USA is a subsidiary of National Grid Transco (LSE:NGT), an international energy delivery business with principal activities in the regulated electric and gas industries.

[mewzilla]

ABC's GMA just ran a timeline of the outage, and if I understood it correctly, it looks like the first palces to go were in the MI/Canada area. If the outage did start in Canada, I can see why Cretin was so all-fired eager to blame NiMo.

[Rome2000]

Mayor Bloomberg blamed a lightning strike in Quebec. "

Don't believe anything this man says.

[bets]

Herein lies a security problem I've harped about for yrs (I have 16 yrs in dataprocessing - mainframes, midranges, and networks):
The midrange and mainframe systems have been relatively impervious to virus' and have fewer "entrances" for hackers. But businesses have been migrating to PC networks (probably because the techs and programmers are cheaper, take less formal training). And so businesses (or utilities) that would normally be on larger, stabler, safer computer systems, have taken the short road using cut&paste networks.

So, I believe Microsoft products are involved in this somehow. No doubt. What a mistake.

[mewzilla]

Or Cretin.