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DrMooseknuckleX t1_itnk5kv wrote

Reply to comment by EscapeRich9091 in eli5: how long would power stay on if the power company abandoned their post? by larsattacks94

This is the right answer.

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685327594 t1_itnkodz wrote

It's honestly still too optimistic. Even making it one hour seems unlikely with no human input.

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DrMooseknuckleX t1_itnl9kv wrote

Yes, but it includes the human element that is needed. All the others arw like "a gas/wind/nuclear" plant can produce X power for X time, without the human element of diverting and channeling the electricity. Sure the plant can keep producing, but that doesn't mean anything if it just overloads the grid.

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685327594 t1_itnlrjr wrote

It includes that element, but still underestimates it. People here don't seem to realize just how little this process it automated.

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PHL1365 t1_itnt03m wrote

I can see where modern plants would have some type of "dead-man switch" or "heartbeat" safety system where it would shut itself down if there were no human responses to periodic prompts.

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685327594 t1_itnttg7 wrote

There's no "dead man's switch". The issue is simply the ephemeral nature of electricity. For the grid to work everything has to remain in perfect balance. It really doesn't take long for it to drift of course without a guiding hand.

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Ishidan01 t1_itos37p wrote

>For the grid to work everything has to remain in perfect balance.

As all things should be.

/you may now discuss the effects of only 50 percent, instead of all, of the operators and technicians disappearing without warning

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PHL1365 t1_itnw0pm wrote

Well, in theory, that balance could be achieved through software/automation. But it would not be considered reliable enough to run without some level of human oversight. Kind of like Tesla's self-driving mode.

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usmcmech t1_itnz3z6 wrote

In theory yes it could.

However in reality it means phone calls from the grid managers to individual power plant control rooms.

“Hey we need you to take 500MW offline in 30 minutes”

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Snoo57672 t1_itogq1k wrote

Yep. Happens every morning. Then they call me that night and ask for it right back. We wouldn't even make a shift change before the grid shit

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J_Zephyr t1_itnnsdl wrote

In America, we would have people charging lightbulbs and tossing them into boxes haphazardly. Cause that's how power work.

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