[Noisebridge-discuss] De-syncing the electric grid

[Ronald Cotoni]

A lot of those devices use UPS's and other things to "clean" the power.
Fixes that problem pretty much.

On Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 12:21 AM, girlgeek <girlgeek at wt.net> wrote:

> **
> I wonder how many medical &/or hospital &/or life support devices are
> dependent on current based time?
> -Claudia
>
>
> On 6/24/2011 7:27 PM, walter park wrote:
>
> AP story:
>
> Experiment with power grid may throw off your electric clock
>
> By SETH BORENSTEIN
> AP Science Writer
>
> 06-24-2011 15:57
>
> WASHINGTON (AP) _ Our power supply has been so precise that we've set our
> clocks by it. But time may be running out on that idea.
>
> A yearlong experiment with the electric grid may make plug-in clocks and
> devices like coffeemakers with programmable timers run up to 20 minutes
> fast.
>
> The group that oversees the U.S. power grid is proposing a change that has
> the potential to disrupt electric clocks in schools, hospitals and other
> institutions, according to a company presentation obtained by The Associated
> Press. It may also mess with the timing of traffic lights, security systems,
> sprinklers and some personal computer software and hardware.
>
> Since 1930, electric clocks have kept time based on the rate of the
> electrical current that powers them. If the current slips off its usual
> rate, clocks run a little fast or slow. Power companies now take steps to
> correct it and keep the frequency of the current _ and the time _ as precise
> as possible.
>
> The experiment would allow more frequency variation than it does now
> without corrections. Officials say they want to try this to make the power
> supply more reliable, save money and reduce what may be needless efforts.
> The test is tentatively set to start in mid-July, but that could change.
>
> Tweaking the power grid's frequency is expensive and takes a lot of effort,
> said Joe McClelland, head of electric reliability for the Federal Energy
> Regulatory Commission.
>
> "Is anyone using the grid to keep track of time?"
> McClelland said. "Let's see if anyone complains if we
> eliminate it."
>
> They will and they should, timekeepers say.
>
> "A lot of people are going to have things break and they're not going to
> know why," said Demetrios Matsakis, head of the time service department at
> the U.S. Naval Observatory, one of two official timekeeping agencies in the
> federal government.
>
> The changes, however, are out of the hands of timekeepers and in control of
> officials who supply the electrical power.
>
> No one is quite sure what will be affected. This won't change the clocks in
> cellphones, GPS systems or even on computers, and it won't have anything to
> do with official U.S. time or Internet time.
>
> But wall clocks and those on ovens and coffeemakers _ anything that flashes
> "12:00" when it loses power _ may be just a bit off every second, and that
> error can grow with time.
>
> It's not easy figuring what will run fast and what won't. For example, VCRs
> or DVRs that get their time from cable systems or the Internet probably
> won't be affected, but those with clocks tied to the electric current will
> be off a bit, Matsakis said.
>
> This will be an interesting experiment to see how dependent our timekeeping
> is on the power grid, Matsakis said.
>
> The North American Electric Reliability Corp. runs the nation's
> interlocking web of transmission lines and power plants. A June 14 company
> presentation spelled out the potential effects of the change: East Coast
> clocks may run as much as 20 minutes fast over a year, but West Coast clocks
> are only likely to be off by 8 minutes. In Texas, it's only an expected
> speed-up of 2 minutes.
>
> Some parts of the grid, like in the East, tend to run faster than others.
> Errors add up. If the grid averages just over 60 cycles a second, clocks
> that rely on the grid will gain 14 seconds per day, according to the
> company's presentation.
>
> Spokeswoman Kimberly Mielcarek said the company is still discussing the
> test and gauging reactions to its proposal, and may delay the experiment a
> bit.
>
> Mielcarek said in an email that the change is about making the grid more
> reliable and that correcting the frequency for time deviations can cause
> other unnecessary problems for the grid. She wrote that any problems from
> the test are only possibilities.
>
> In the future, more use of renewable energy from the sun and wind will mean
> more variations in frequency on the grid, McClelland said. Solar and wind
> power can drop off the grid with momentary changes in weather. Correcting
> those deviations is expensive and requires instant back-up power to be
> always at the ready, he said.
>
> The test makes sense and should not cause too much of a hassle for people,
> said Jay Apt, a business professor and director of the Electricity Industry
> Center at Carnegie Mellon University.
>
> But Tim O'Brian, who heads the time and frequency division at the National
> Institute of Standards and Technology,
> expects widespread effects.
>
> He said there are alternatives if people have problems from the test: The
> federal government provides the official time by telephone and on the
> Internet.
>
> Official U.S. government time:
> *http://time.gov* or call 202-762-1401
>
>
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-- 
Ronald Cotoni
Systems Engineer
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