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posted by martyb on Tuesday March 06 2018, @10:12PM   Printer-friendly
from the you're-not-just-bored:-the-wall-clock-IS-slow dept.

Electric clocks on continental Europe that are steered by the frequency of the power system are running slow by up to 5 minutes since mid-January according to a news release from the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity ('entsoe'). The transmission system operators (TSOs) will set up a compensation program to correct the time in the future. ​

Many electric clocks rely on the transmission system frequency to provide a source that minimises long-term drift. Quartz crystals have good short term stability, but dreadful long term stability, so plant and machinery that requires power to be turned on or off at a specific time each day without maintenance over a long period historically used clocks slaved to the power-system frequency, which is kept long-term stable by the system operators to prevent problems in power generation and transmission across national and supra-national grids - for example, attempting to switch supplies to generators that are not synchronised to the grid frequency can severely damage the generator.

It is normal for transmission system operators to allow the frequency to drop slightly at periods of high demand, thus slowing clocks, but usually, the frequency is increased during periods of low demand to ensure the long-term average frequency remains stable.


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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by BsAtHome on Tuesday March 06 2018, @11:04PM (1 child)

    by BsAtHome (889) on Tuesday March 06 2018, @11:04PM (#648766)

    It is actually much worse... the phase relation changes more rapidly in practice because there are many intermediate stations. And yes, the speed of light is a harsh and unforgiving mistress.

    The phase is not a problem as such, but the group-delay is, which makes the control-system much more complex to keep stable.

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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by NewNic on Wednesday March 07 2018, @01:00AM

    by NewNic (6420) on Wednesday March 07 2018, @01:00AM (#648804) Journal

    Electricity in wire* doesn't travel at the speed of light. Just something approaching the speed of light.

    * Talking about propagation of the electric field. The electrons move at a much slower speed.

    --
    lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory