Power blip...

AbyssUnderground · 10-05-2007, 22:38

Hi all,

Not sure where this goes, so Ill put it here.

Did anyone have any power blips about 10pm tonight? Lights dimmed twice in a few minutes?

If so, can you post and say your location? It seemed to be a widespread occurance and Im conducting an investigation as to how far widespread it was.

So far I have Middlesbrough, Guisborough, Redcar, Saltburn, Essex and Boston. Redcar went out totally for 1.5 seconds. Everywhere else was a massive brownout for 1.5 seconds.

Also, Im wondering what caused it but that will come eventually.

Probably a stupid topic to most but its making conversation

(See Blip.png for the blips from the National Grid graphs)

Osem · 11-05-2007, 10:11

I heard the cause was Tony Blair having forced electric shock therapy from Gordon Brown

**Graham M** · 11-05-2007, 10:52

It was probably everyone (a large percentage of the population anyway)

a) Turning their TV On/Off for a big event Soap/Other
b) Boiling the kettle in between ad breaks

Obviously only so much power is generated and they can only base how much power is available on averages, etc So if more is required it is usually an automatic process but can take a few seconds.

AbyssUnderground · 11-05-2007, 12:02

Well Ive heard nothing do far but this is the first time its ever happened, and there were two of these blips in a few minutes, then another 20 minutes later. It knocked out some places totally, and made my UPS's kick in. I can only guess a large supplier was momentarily cut off each of those times causing the blip. Like the graph shows from the national grid, it was a hell of a dip.

handyman · 11-05-2007, 13:05

I was watching a Discovery type program showing power generation. Theres a guy in a Mountain somewhere (probably somewhere like wales) that has the job of balancing most of the National grid power. They pump water to a holding reservoir during the night when it is cheap to do so then can release the water and use that to generate burst power. The plan ahead looking at what times of the days will need more power (tv breaks are a big one) and they have a big screen showing the Frequency. AFAIK they try to get it at 50 or 60htz but on the program it was all over the shop so it is obviously a big task to balance it all out.

11-05-2007, 14:26

Whats the graph showing on X and Y axis?

I worked in a power station for a while. There were some characters with a lot of interesting stories.

AbyssUnderground · 11-05-2007, 15:09

Y shows demand in MW and X is time (60 mins).

That discovery channel programme I saw some time ago too, but he wasnt balancing the grid, he was just supplying some demand. Balancing is controlled at the national grid HQ where they tell more or less stations to come online.

11-05-2007, 16:12

Only the second one looks like a brownout as the demand jumps back up.
The other dips look like Soaps finishing and related drops in demand.

AbyssUnderground · 11-05-2007, 17:23

It was so wide spread that a dip like this 3 times in 30 minutes is unlikely. It must have been an issue with a supplier dropping out momentarily. It happened in the pubs as well, my Dad mentioned it when I spoke to him this evening.

Never had anything like it from what I can recall. I guess it will always be a mystery.

awibble · 14-05-2007, 09:51

I would of thought a TV program ending just as possiable as a provider dropping out.