Re: Government "experiments" with power grid - You are going to be an Alpha tester.

[nick markowitz <nmarkowitz@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Jun 27, 3:36=A0am, G. Morgan <G_Mor...@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> The ONE thing we could always "count on" is going to be screwed with?
> The Government has decided to use all of us as "alpha" testers...
>
> "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."
> ------------------------------------------
>
> Story:
> (AP) =A0WASHINGTON (AP) =97 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 =97 and the time =97 =
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 =97 anything that
> flashes "12:00" when it loses power =97 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.
>
> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/24/ap/tech/main20074275.shtml

This is going to cause one big mess in broadcasting and medical fields
as well