Posted on 03/24/2022 4:07:16 AM PDT by BlackAdderess
On February 24 Ukraine’s electric grid operator disconnected the country’s power system from the larger Russian-operated network to which it had always been linked. The long-planned disconnection was meant to be a 72-hour trial proving that Ukraine could operate on its own. The test was a requirement for eventually linking with the European grid, which Ukraine had been working toward since 2017. But four hours after the exercise started, Russia invaded.
Ukraine’s connection to Europe—which was not supposed to occur until 2023—became urgent, and engineers aimed to safely achieve it in just a matter of weeks. On March 16 they reached the key milestone of synchronizing the two systems. It was “a year’s work in two weeks,”…
(Excerpt) Read more at scientificamerican.com ...
So now when Europe runs out of gas, Ukraine won’t have electricity either
What’s that you say wind and solar?
haha
Hey, about that electricity that surges through the European power grid — I wonder where the fuel comes from that produces that electricity?
Just over a year later, the same region was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. The power went out, and those neighbors were all proud of themselves for having such foresight.
The only problem was that the power outages were so widespread that the refineries and gas stations were shut down, too. So after a few days the generators ran out of fuel and those neighbors had to stand on line for hours at the local gas station with their red plastic containers, waiting for the next fuel delivery truck to resupply the gas station.
European power is now the most expensive on the planet.
Don’t know how they will afford it.
So they had power for a few days more than you did?
I was able to get along fine without the power for several days. If an outages extended beyond a week I would just pack a bunch of gear into my truck and go camping for a while.
Just “go camping” in your house.
Much of it is nuclear.
The green energy production is insufficient to even run the railroads
I thought about it. Cooking would be a problem. And it was getting really dull. LOL.
[So now when Europe runs out of gas, Ukraine won’t have electricity either
What’s that you say wind and solar?
haha]
“This report reminds me of my neighbors who thought they were so smart when they installed gasoline-powered generators on their property “
Installed home generators are typically powered by NG and/or LP, not gasoline.
At least they had more electricity than you!
“. So after a few days the generators ran out of fuel and those neighbors had to stand on line for hours at the local gas station with their red plastic containers, waiting for the next fuel delivery truck to resupply the gas station.”
Better to have power for a few days and spend a few hours getting more fuel than to have no power at all!
Or maybe I was just better prepared to deal with a situation with no power — because I didn’t expect to have any in the event of a power failure! :-)
Its probably the only other game in town though
I forgot about that, but you’re right
(According to Jayanti, Ukraine’s grid was ultimately able to run alone for as long as it did because power demand dropped by about a third as Ukrainians fled the country.)
...
One of the primary challenges of interconnecting grids is synchronizing them, which is what Ukrenergo, Moldelectrica and ENTSO-E accomplished last week. Synchronization is essential for sharing electricity. The task involves aligning the frequencies of every energy-generation facility in the connecting systems. Frequency is like the heartbeat of the electric grid. Across Europe, energy-generating turbines spin 50 times per second in near-perfect unison. For Ukraine and Moldova to join in, their systems had to be adjusted to match that rhythm. “We can’t stop the power system for an hour and then try to synchronize,” Deane says. “This has to be done while the system is operating.” It is like jumping onto a moving train or a spinning ride at the playground: the train or ride is not stopping, so you had better time the jump perfectly.
...
One safeguard against grid instability is inherent to many of Ukraine’s assets: rotational inertia. Once heavy turbines, such as those in the nuclear plants that comprise much of Ukraine’s energy supply, are spinning at a certain frequency, it takes a substantial, sustained change in power to alter their rotation. They are unaffected by minor blips in the power generated to spin them, so their frequency remains stable. This inertia helps power plants dampen slight variations in power instead of transferring them to the rest of the grid. In the case of a major failure, it buys a few precious seconds for response systems to kick in.
I saw that too, bit ironic that the Russian invasion actually helped the process along by cutting the demand by a third
Do you have an outdoor grill area? Where you could use something like a rocket stove, at least?
Oh well, whatever is left of Ukraine that is independent of Russia can suffer along with Europe as energy prices soar.
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