Featured in Sunsetting FITs spell new dawn – 02-2019

Inertia, frequency regulation and the grid

The old system of regulating frequency on electricity grids with the help of the inertia provided by large spinning masses is under threat by the rise of wind, solar, and batteries. But what will replace inertia-based control, and how will the transition work?

By

Christian Roselund

25 Feb 2019

Image: ERCOT

While we often speak of electricity supply in terms of raw power inputs and demand – whether from gigawatt-scale nuclear plants, the terawatt hours of annual demand in each U.S. state, or even individual 15 W light bulbs – there is another dimension that is less discussed but no less critical: frequency.The three main U.S. …

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