For example, apparently the grid on one side of Japan uses 50 Hz and the other side uses 60 Hz, and this means they can’t interconnect, but… why? Why isn’t it the case that current is current is current is current? I’ve heard some super vague explanation about how deviations in the line frequency can damage electrical equipment, but *how* does it do that?
In: Engineering
The voltage in the power grid changes with time. It forms a wave – it moves back and forth between around -230 to +230 volts (for a single phase, but that requires a bit more complex explanation). The current doesn’t flow in a straight line either. It essentially flows back and forth continously. The frequency tells you how often this cycle happens in a second. If you connect multiple power stations that don’t have the same frequency (or even the same position in the AC wave), it would cause a massive current to flow from one power station to the other, since one power station would be at a different voltage at the same point in time, and current flows from high voltage point to low voltage point. The power stations must be synchronized, so that they output the same voltage and there is no net flow of energy bewteen them.
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