A Good Article (And yes, FF, it is mostly positive)

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Electric Utilities and Y2K : One Thread

I don't normally post links to newspapr articles in the forum because these articles tend to roll off of newspaper webservers quickly. However, here's a link to a recent article from the Fresno (Ca.) Bee on electric utilities and Y2k. It's one of the better stories that I've seen on the issue - it actually goes into an explanation and examples of cascading type of failures in electric industry transmission systems. But it also gives you an idea of the level of effort being put out to keep the Y2k failure potential for this type of thing to a minimum.

Fresno Bee Article

-- Anonymous, March 02, 1999

Answers

Very interesting article Rick. Grid stability issues are a worthy subject, but a little out of my technical field. I have done limited research on the y2k issues associated with the grid, and have experience in power plant side protective relaying and breaker coordination, but I am finding mixed information on this subject from the grid perspective. I have seen some information that tends to indicate that the protective devices themselves are generally not computer controlled in the US (which mirrors what I have seen in plant side relaying). I have worked with electronic protective relays that had digital communications of status (including event time stamping) to a monitoring system, but the trip functions themselves relied only on process variables. I am interested in what you have found on relaying y2k potential with the grid - I think it would be limited based on what I have read, but you have may have looked into this issue a lot more than I have, and you're certainly more knowledgable about overall grid stability issues from the articles and posts of yours that I have read. [I am intentially avoiding frequency control and EMS discussion - at least for the present.]

Regards, FactFinder

-- Anonymous, March 02, 1999


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