71–80 of 146 posts
There's no single "Europe" grid.
There isn't a single grid, but there is a large synchronous grid covering most of continental Europe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronous_grid_of_Continenta...
Am I naive in assuming that many grid stability issues could be fixed by mandating all electric heaters automatically cut off at, say below 49.9Hz? It is my understanding that modern home EV chargers have the capability to do this to some extent, but I'm not sure if it's actually utilised?
It seems like a better solution would be batteries and/or the allowance of dirtier power generation (in emergencies). I can't even wrap my head around the regulatory nightmare of shutting off everyone's heat at night in January.
The reason for 50 Hz +- 0.2 Hz isn't so much about consumers; it's about being able to run the grid. In Europe there is a long-term control loop that makes it a quite accurate 50 Hz, so synchronous motor clocks work, but that has essentially nothing to do with the normal frequency control.
I like these stories because they make me remember that things like electricity and water are not free. Water and electricity should be a lot more expensive, then people would start to understand that having an Electric car, 10+ devices in the household, a washer, a drier, lights, tvs and all that shit is expensive for the lot. But people don't really care, as long as our things work and we are not bothered by anyone…
I like these stories because they make me remember that things like electricity and water are not free. Water and electricity should be a lot more expensive, then people would start to understand that having an Electric car, 10+ devices in the household, a washer, a drier, lights, tvs and all that shit is expensive for the lot. But people don't really care, as long as our things work and we are not bothered by anyone…
So you want people to use gas cars and gas-powered boilers to heat their home? Or should we make that more expensive as well so we can make sure more people spend more time with heating off in the winter?
Why aren't power outages in California and Europe partly due to the adoption of solar and wind?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
At least 3 large power stations. But is that necessarily a loss of supply or could it be a spike in demand? The UK was famous for demand spikes when people turned on kettles during the break in popular soap opras or football games. Maybe a cold day tripped a bunch of houses to turn on their electric heating?
related: Water usage (toilet flushes) in the city of Berlin during the Germany - Portugal soccer match https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/28mmsn/water_usage_...
(I interned at a water treatment plant a while ago. Watching the 30 million gallon cleartanks drain when the plant lost power really hit home (at ~6-7 million gallon/hr) how much water an entire city uses.)
Yet governments insist newbuilds to be on electric heating... I was saying this won't be nice for a long time. Example: my house, a 1954 built semi-detached - the official average unit in England - has a single phase 100A main cutout. Hob 32A, 2x sockets circuits 2x16A, 2x light circuits 2x6A, oven 16A. That's already 92A at total theoretical capacity. If I was to add FIR panels, that's bare minimum +32A, plus water…
Am I naive in assuming that many grid stability issues could be fixed by mandating all electric heaters automatically cut off at, say below 49.9Hz? It is my understanding that modern home EV chargers have the capability to do this to some extent, but I'm not sure if it's actually utilised?
Yet governments insist newbuilds to be on electric heating... I was saying this won't be nice for a long time. Example: my house, a 1954 built semi-detached - the official average unit in England - has a single phase 100A main cutout. Hob 32A, 2x sockets circuits 2x16A, 2x light circuits 2x6A, oven 16A. That's already 92A at total theoretical capacity. If I was to add FIR panels, that's bare minimum +32A, plus water…
Which governments are those?