🚀 go-pugleaf

In <cvZcu*+Og@caron.ati.com> ronell@caron.ati.com (Ronald Elliott) writes:
>In article <1994Jan18.161508.1303@spectra.com>, Boyd Johnson writes:
>> In article <reiser-170194145852@macw-sir.inel.gov>,
>> Steven Reiser, P.E. <reiser@pmafire.inel.gov> wrote:
>> >
>> >At least 9 states and rumors of up to 14 states in the west lost power.
>>
>I think they might have been referring to the fact that power generating
>facilities in that many states shut down. The L.A. basin purchases power
>from that far away and some of those generating facilities are almost
>exclusively for their use.

The problem that occurred was that the western states are on a huge power
grid.  When a huge power load (and LA is a *big* load) is suddenly removed
from the grid, there is a pulse created on the grid due to overgeneration
that just can't stop instantly.  The pulse traveled thru 14 states of the
power grid before damping itself out.  The power pulse caused systems in
those 14 states to trip offline, but they were brought back online when the
grid stabilized. 

I'm not an expert, that's just how it was explained to me.
--GaryM