Back in 2015 Turkey has been synchronized to the European grid.
Now my question is, how do you synchronize a whole country to another country? Adjusting the voltage is pretty simple by using transformers, but what about the frequency and phase angle? While synchronizing a generator to the grid is just a matter of changing the rpm of the generator, but obviously you can’t do that, in order to change the frequency of the grid, because if your generator is to slow it will be powered by the grid. So how do you synchronize a whole country?
In: Engineering
Add more fuel to your generator (or turn on some generators), and the grid runs at a higher voltage and faster frequency. Take fuel away from your generator (or turn off some generators), and the grid runs at a lower voltage and slower frequency.
Make fine adjustments until you’re at almost the right frequency. Then the two grids will very slowly shift between “in phase” and “out of phase”.
When you’re in phase, quickly hit the big button that closes a massive circuit breaker and hooks the grids together.
Once the grids are together, everything will run at the same frequency. If you were very slightly slow, then a tiny bit of electricity will flow toward you, speeding you up and slowing everyone else down. If you were very slightly fast, then a tiny bit of electricity will flow from you, slowing you down and speeding everyone else up. Once everything’s connected, the grid synchronizes itself.
If you mess it up, and you connect the grids when you’re too far out of phase or frequency, a huge amount of electricity will flow, and instead of a gentle correction, your generator will experience a massive force and a hard jolt that will probably break it. Then you’ll get to enjoy days or weeks of downtime, a six-to-eight-figure repair bill, and some very difficult questions from the government. Probably the electric utility regulator, but if you mess up really big, the government will also invite you to a hearing, and you’ll have a chance to explain to a bunch of angry politicians why your actions resulted in millions of people without power.
[Here’s a video of a guy syncing a 400 kW hydro plant to the grid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGQxSJmadm0).
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