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MONITORING THE HEALTH

OF YOUR ELECTRIC POWER GRID
Precision PC-Based 60-Hz Frequency Counter
by Doug Criner

Start ý Frequency and Time Errors ý A Struggling Grid ý Only Three Parts ý Sources and PDF

Would you like to know in advance if your electric power grid is on the verge of collapse? An important indicator of the power gridýs health is the system frequencyýnominally 60 Hz in the U.S., but itýs seldom exactly at 60 Hz. In the U.S., there are three separate grids, one for Texas, one for the remaining areas east of the Rocky Mountains, and one for the West. Within each of these areas, the generators are synchronized and tied together in parallel. System operators try to keep the frequency at 60 Hz by increasing generation if the frequency drops, and vice versa.

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