A CLARIFYING ILLUSTRATION OF THE PHYSICAL BOUNDS WITHIN WHICH THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF GRID HOMEOSTASIS
Joseph Fournier ‘s diagram noted the “catastrophic” failure bounds from a physics perspective; but also reminded me of an old biological concept, homeostasis.
From Wikipedia:
“This is the condition of optimal functioning for the organism and includes many variables, such as body temperature and fluid balance, being kept within certain pre-set limits (homeostatic range)”
Obviously the variables are different for the grid. Biological systems have evolved so that organisms have multiple (partially redundant) resilience mechanisms to avoid getting to the bounds. As when variable trajectories are approaching the bounds (with correlated effects due to interactions), it is often too late to stop hitting the bounds and overshooting into “catastrophe”. While the Grid is a human designed construct, it’s sheer complexity approaches the biological. We too live within tight physical bounds. A few degree shift in internal temperature for extended period, loss of oxygen to the brain, lack of water for a few days …. The grid staying within functional bounds allows us to stay within functional bounds in the shelter of our homes. I can’t emphasize enough, the catastrophic failure in the illustration when overshot for the grid, has a human consequence: vulnerable people are pushed to their homeostatic bounds; some may die.
A link to more detail on stability in networked physical systems (the grid being one example) and homeostasis in biological systems (us being another example) is in the comments. See Chapter 2: “A Brief Survey of Stability”.
2024 has awakened many Albertans to the precarious state of our critical life support system that we call the Grid.
This illustration serves to aid in furthering understanding how synchronous power generation technologies act to frequency stabilize our Grid through the large rotational inertia of thermal power plants that remain the center-piece technology in providing primary frequency control.
It is crucial that more people understand that wind & solar PV technologies use inverters to convert their power generation to a 60 Hertz (Hz) frequency and inverters do not have the ability to adjust at sufficient speed to sudden changes in Grid frequency.
Simply adding more utility scale battery systems to the Grid will not change this fundamental limitation or the physics of our Grid folks.
Note that by "Catastrophic Failure" I mean things literally explode like a bomb.
We are flirting with Life & Death here folks and the solution is obvious to those of us who are brave enough to speak the truth of physics.
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Love seeing your updates!