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Drifts in frequency across what is supposed to be a unified grid will also randomly pop circuit breakers and make emergency power routing (say in the event of storm damage) more difficult or impossible.

Drifts in frequency across what is supposed to be a unified grid will also randomly pop circuit breakers and make emergency power routing (say in the event of storm damage) more difficult or impossible.

Well, if you get things out of phase, the generator will act as a motor and vice versa and when it keeps cycling out of control, you burn them out and get a huge mess. BTW, a Pittsburgh connection, Dr. Frank Conrad, who later started KDKA radio, developed the grid system and the switching needed back in 1905 for Westinghouse. He synchronized the grid and power generation to the Naval Time radio station the Navy had in Arlington much like some use WWV or WWVH today. I have the story on tape that Conrad's grandson told about it when KDKA celebrated it's 70th anniversary in 1990. I think he worked it together with Reginald Aubrey Fesseden, who was at the University of Pittsburgh at that time. Fesseden was the first to broadcast music and the human voice in good clarity in 1906.

I also remember my grandmother had an old Hoover vacuum that could run on anything from 25 to 60 cycle power, IIRC, I think it had an induction motor that can run at a constant speed no matter what cycle power your feed it. At that time, the 1930's, the West Coast, at least a good part of it ran at 50 cycles and Ontario Canada ran at 25 cycles, some industries up there still do. When you go that low, you can see the lights flicker plus for electronic stuff like radios and TV's, you need a much bigger transformer. I did talk to one guy who did manage to be able to run his TV on 16 cycle power once.

There is a hydro station in upstate New York that still puts out 40 cycles but has to be converted to 60. It has been in constant use since the mid 1890's. I hope the 19th Century craftsmen were very good, we need to keep the old stuff running since our "fearless leader Obongo" will not build any more coal plants.

Drifts in frequency across what is supposed to be a unified grid will also randomly pop circuit breakers and make emergency power routing (say in the event of storm damage) more difficult or impossible.

Those of us who live in Florida - in areas that are lightning capitals of the world - are thrilled. /s