Applying lessons learned from one of the biggest blackouts in history
Monday, February 3, 2014 - 09:30
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org) —On a warm afternoon in August 2003, in rural Ohio, a high-voltage power line brushed against some untrimmed tree limbs. The action tripped a relay that immediately shut off the power it was carrying. As system operators worked to understand what was happening, three more lines sagged into trees and were shut down. Joining power lines were forced to shoulder the extra burden until they, too, failed.