Path: news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid>
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: The Spanish Grid Drop-out - recently released information.
Date: Mon, 12 May 2025 12:42:11 -0700
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On 5/12/2025 7:31 AM, Theo wrote:
> A naive question: why do we need to get these signals from the grid at all?
> Why can't we broadcast a synchronisation message on something like LW radio
> that is picked up by every generator large or small?  Then the network
> operator can monitor what's happening and adjust the signal as appropriate.

How have we managed to distribute electrical power over huge swaths of land
from multiple independent operators WITHOUT such a mechanism?

> No need for internet connectivity means no problems with network delays,
> only the speed of RF from one end of the country to the other.  You would of

The actual path -- and the "terrain" over which it travels -- will determine
the propagation delay.

How does the system react to a (inevitable) loss of that control signal?

Inertia implies memory.  Memory can be implemented in silicon -- with
whatever dynamic characteristics the modelers choose.

But, if you treat new cogeneration facilities as "optional bolt-on products",
you likely won't model the NEW system with them in place.  Rather, you will
design them to disconnect from the OLD (existing) system if they "feel"
they can't cope with their current observations of that system's behavior.

> course have multiple transmitter sites - they would cost in terms of power
> to run, but compared with grid power it's tiny.  (before anyone says you
> cannae get the transmitters any more, yes you can - Nautel will sell you
> a new one)
> 
> Or is the problem that we actually do need slight desynchronisation - some
> parts of the network become overloaded and need to 'slow down' compared with
> other parts? (and they do that by phase differences rather than voltage
> sag)  In which case the frequency differences follow the network topology
> and the power flows.
> 
> Theo