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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.
(Score: 2) by FakeBeldin on Wednesday March 07 2018, @05:27PM (3 children)
So what's going on between Kosovo and Serbia?
Was hoping to read that here in the comments, but didn't find it yet.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Unixnut on Wednesday March 07 2018, @09:29PM (2 children)
> Was hoping to read that here in the comments, but didn't find it yet.
Probably because it is more suited to a political section, rather than this technical article.
In a nutshell, it is like an European version of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Two peoples lay claim to the same chunk of land, and see the "other side" as illegally occupying it. Combine ancient hatreds, generational long conflicts over the land (at least since the 1300's I think), resources (farmland, gold and uranium, etc...) up for grabs, and two religions (Christianity and Islam) duking it out over the course of centuries, and you got the gist of the situation.
Right now Kosovo is either an independent state, or an occupied territory of Serbia, depending on who you ask (UN says part of Serbia, but individual countries have either recognised Kosovo as independent or not, as is their sovereign right).
It is similar to Crimea in the sense that an external power (NATO) intervened on one side to occupy and slice a chunk of land off a sovereign country, something not done since Hitler started invading and annexing countries back before WWII kicked off, and indeed the Russians used that same "Kosovo precedent" to claim Crimea. That is probably what the original poster was referring to.
The political situation is steeped deep in history, blood, conflict and quite frankly is a mess that deserves its own university course, and can't be adequately explained in an online post. A quick Google will lead you in further directions if you are so inclined.
Technically where this becomes a problem, is when you have basically two governments trying to administer the same territory and assets (such as power stations, mines, etc...), and who actively will thwart each other (because in the eyes of one, the other is "illegitimate" and has no say). The EU can't really mediate because the EU itself does not have a coherent view (some EU countries recognised Kosovo as a state, others see it as part of Serbia).
What that link fails to do for me, is explain exactly why this is happening. Is someone pinching power without paying for it? How does 113GWh vanish? It isn't like oil where you can siphon it off a pipe, load it onto trucks and sell it on the black market. Is someone tapping power but not paying for it?
This bit (quoted):
Makes me think someone has tapped the lines, and is using electricity without paying for it. However with two governments vying for control of the territory, I guess finding out who is responsible (and should pay compensation) is proving difficult. With 113 GWh "missing", maybe someone is mining major cryptocurrency for free down there, taking advantage of the general lawlessness that begets such frozen conflicts.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Unixnut on Wednesday March 07 2018, @09:53PM (1 child)
After posting, I found this post:
https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=24423&page=1&cid=649114#commentwrap [soylentnews.org]
Which mentions a BBC article, in it this bit gives some clarity:
So, what I suspect has happened (and this is just my conjecture at this point) is that the government of the "independent state of Kosovo" is in de facto control of the power grid, and did not generate enough electricity to meet its needs, for whatever reason. The government of Serbia (Who by UN law Kosovo belongs to as a province) is being held responsible and has to pay compensation.
However I imagine the Serbian government states that the territory is illegally occupied, and as they don't have de facto control over the power grid or power stations, they should not be held responsible for the shortfall and subsequent compensation caused by the occupiers. Presumably they would be willing to take responsibility if they would be given control of the grid/power stations back from the "other" government, but the "other" government would not agree to that, because it would be seen as accepting they are not really an independent state.
So, a political stalemate, and I can't think of a solution that would be acceptable to all parties involved. Thankfully I am not a diplomat, so don't have to find a solution to that fustercluck , but until a solution is found, I guess more energy will "go missing" and clocks may drift more, or the EU will just get sick of the problem and disconnect that block from the EU-wide grid until they come to their senses.
(Score: 2) by FakeBeldin on Wednesday March 07 2018, @10:48PM
Thanks! That clarifies the issue greatly!