🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <cqbq5g$fp6$1@reader1.panix.com>, 
EskWIRED@spamblock.panix.com wrote:

> In ne.general Howard Berkowitz <hcb@gettcomm.com> wrote:
> 
> > Shorthand for both.  One of the problems of this regulatory split into 
> > generation and distribution is that it did not take engineering safety 
> > into account. The reality is that a number of distribution companies 
> > were spinoffs of existing plant, and were not optimized for 
> > interconnection, being the older AC high-voltage treansmission systems. 
> 
> What do you mean that "a number of distribution companies ... [are] older 
> AC high-voltage transmission systems"?
> 
> IME, the distribution companies have specs that need to be met before one 
> can interconnect.  What kind of optimization are you referring to?  

I'd have to pull out the technical analysis of the last major Northeast 
blackout, but to my recollection, there was a problem of reactive AC 
surges from one of the generating companies, in, IIRC, Ohio.
> 
> 
> > Thyristors and other new solid-state components. The Texas grid, for 
> > example, has primarily solid-state DC connections to ther grids.
> 
> All three interconnects are via DC.  However, within the ERCOT 
> Interconnect, they use the same 60 cycle AC as everybody else.

Perfectly reasonable that AC is used for distribution. Not all 
interconnects in the country are DC.
> 
> > > 
> > > It is crucial that the interconnecting generator be matched to the 
> > > system 
> > > it is connecing to.  How could it be otherwise?
> 
> > If you connect with DC, there's no issue of phase and frequency match.
> 
> > A number of new, extremely high voltage (e.g., 750 KV and above) 
> > transmission facilities are DC, not AC.
> 
> But no generators interconnect with them!

Agreed. The power is rectified before interconnetion. It would be silly 
economy to replace existing and working AC generators with DC.  It's an 
open engineering issue if future generators, especially in remote 
locations, _might_ be initially DC and convert to AC at regional 
distribution points -- that's an installation-specific tradeoff.