From 2GreenEnergy Intern Nikita Rao: Dealing with Power Outages — Building a More Resilient Grid
The increase in the number of blackouts have raised questions on the facts of such events and the vulnerability of interconnected power systems, when operate outside their design limits. The blackout that occurred on August 14, 2003 was recorded to be the biggest in the history of United States power distribution systems.
The power grid – a set of large power plants (one grid being almost half of United States) allows power sharing, it works well as a power distribution system. When breakdown in a power plant or a transmission tower occurs, other parts of the grid pick up the slack.
To satisfy the need of increased power consumption by our population, there is an increase in power transmission. This is because the power grid does not have a storage system; all the transmission and distribution lines are only involved in sending power to the customers on receiving end.
In the event of lightning strike or geomagnetic storm, the plant disconnects from the grid; other plants connected to the grid spin up to meet the demand. But if other plants are near their maximum capacity, they cannot take up the extra load, leading to blackout.
Extensive research and exchange of information from worldwide blackout findings have shed a new light on the current condition, procedure, regulation and design of power systems.
The North American and the European grid systems that experienced blackouts in 2003 are among the most reliable systems worldwide. However, the same systems are subject to a host of challenges: aging infrastructure, need for generation siting near the load centers, transmission expansion to meet growing demand, and regulatory pressures.
One of the challenges facing the power industry today is the balance between reliability, economics, the environment, and other public-purpose objectives to optimize transmission and distribution resources to meet the demand.
One potential solution to the problem is to build significant amounts of excess capacity – extra power plants, extra transmission lines, etc. By having extra capacity, the grid would be able to pick up the load the moment something else failed. That approach would work, but it would increase our power bills.
BLACKOUT PREVENTION:
The so-called “three T’s” — trees, tools, and training–have been identified as the leading focus areas to prevent widespread outages not caused by natural disasters. While tree trimming can help reduce system exposure, other natural events such as storms or dense fog have caused disturbances in the past. Tools and training, on the other hand, are two factors that need to be in place before these fast-developing, cascading events.
New investments should certainly include additional transmission lines; they should also encompass power-delivery technologies such as series capacitors, single-phase operation of transmission lines, HVDC links, energy storage, super-conducting materials, and micro-grids. Another critical step in minimizing the impact of widespread blackouts is the need for effective and fast power-system restoration. Returning equipment to service, followed by quick restoration of power to users, is of paramount importance and can significantly minimize consequences of outages.
References:
• http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/the-smarter-grid/taming-the-power-grid
• How stuff works article by Julia Layton
