9-Minute Switch Off : Power Professionals at Tenterhooks
Even the 9-minute power switch off is going to put the professionals, engineers and techies of power industry on tenterhooks. It is going to be a very trying situation for them when the entire around 300 million power consumers of the nation will switch off their lights at 9 pm for 9 minutes tomorrow the 5th April, Sunday.
Worries are purely technical. The power is generated, transmitted and then distributed through state load dispatch centres (SLDCs) which keep the supply going on the basis of demand by the state distribution companies (DISCOMs).
The SLDCs keep updating the demand to power generation companies like NTPC or any other every 15 minutes in a day of 96 slabs of time blocks.
SLDCs have to ensure that the frequency of power run through the grid line is maintained between 48.5 and 51.5 hertz lest the generation collapses. It is going to be the trying moment of 10 minutes for SLDCs. The risk of generation collapse and consequent power outage is due to fluctuation in Demand and Supply which disrupts the power frequency. The frequency of power goes too high when the supply is too high and too low when the demand is too low. A surge in supply will disrupt the power frequency due to sudden fall in demand when at 9 pm light will be switched off nationwide by consumers.
The SLDCs will have to manage this with their joint efforts with generation companies.
Power is generated through thermal, hydel, gas, wind and solar sources in India. Solar doesn't generate in the night. Wind is continuous and can't be stopped. But it is possible to completely shut down a hydel and gas plants. And it is not a herculean task to restart a hydel or gas plant. But thermal plant takes hours to restart once it trips. I hope the nation remembers the power outage in 2012 when 600 million people went into complete blackout due to northern and eastern grid failure.
The saving grace is that the generation companies have already reduced their power production due to coronavirus lockdown and subsequent lockdown in industrial sector too. On 5th April generation capacity will have to be kept at the lowest for 10 minutes.
The SLDCs is also likely to keep in mind that consumption will drop only due to switching off the lights and it does not include fans, air conditioners or other electronic gadgets which may remain on by mistake or even by necessity. Also, street lights and those in other public places will be on. These are likely to help the power industry.
Let us hope the supply should not override too steep fall in demand on 5th April during those 9 minutes and country will not enter into a black out if the power generation trips.
Worries are purely technical. The power is generated, transmitted and then distributed through state load dispatch centres (SLDCs) which keep the supply going on the basis of demand by the state distribution companies (DISCOMs).
The SLDCs keep updating the demand to power generation companies like NTPC or any other every 15 minutes in a day of 96 slabs of time blocks.
SLDCs have to ensure that the frequency of power run through the grid line is maintained between 48.5 and 51.5 hertz lest the generation collapses. It is going to be the trying moment of 10 minutes for SLDCs. The risk of generation collapse and consequent power outage is due to fluctuation in Demand and Supply which disrupts the power frequency. The frequency of power goes too high when the supply is too high and too low when the demand is too low. A surge in supply will disrupt the power frequency due to sudden fall in demand when at 9 pm light will be switched off nationwide by consumers.
The SLDCs will have to manage this with their joint efforts with generation companies.
Power is generated through thermal, hydel, gas, wind and solar sources in India. Solar doesn't generate in the night. Wind is continuous and can't be stopped. But it is possible to completely shut down a hydel and gas plants. And it is not a herculean task to restart a hydel or gas plant. But thermal plant takes hours to restart once it trips. I hope the nation remembers the power outage in 2012 when 600 million people went into complete blackout due to northern and eastern grid failure.
The saving grace is that the generation companies have already reduced their power production due to coronavirus lockdown and subsequent lockdown in industrial sector too. On 5th April generation capacity will have to be kept at the lowest for 10 minutes.
The SLDCs is also likely to keep in mind that consumption will drop only due to switching off the lights and it does not include fans, air conditioners or other electronic gadgets which may remain on by mistake or even by necessity. Also, street lights and those in other public places will be on. These are likely to help the power industry.
Let us hope the supply should not override too steep fall in demand on 5th April during those 9 minutes and country will not enter into a black out if the power generation trips.
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