Re: [gentoo-user] Alternatives to knutclient

[Peter Humphrey <peter@prh.myzen.co.uk>]

On Sun, 29 Oct 2017 14:46:02 -0500
Dale <rdalek1967@gmail.com> wrote:

> I've always seen UPSs as the best insurance of decent power.  I find
> them handy for almost anything electronic.  No matter where a person
> lives, good power is sometimes just not going to be there. 

I spent an instructive 1990 summer afternoon in Minnesota talking to an
experienced linesman. He described a two-phase, 110V 60Hz supply to most
consumers in USA (180-degree phase angle), with floating earths and
immensely long, thin links between population centres. I was appalled at
the rickety, piecemeal system he described - though of course the geography
necessitates the long links.

That was just one view, of course.

In the UK our supplies are three-phase, 230V at 50Hz (120-degree phase
angles), with all earths tied down securely at distribution voltages (33KV
and below - the ones on wooden poles where they're above ground). Grid and
supergrid lines are delta-connected though, rather than the star
connections of lower voltages.

Today's forecasts of doom are the result of 30 years of dithering by
governments of all stripes, neglecting to invest in new generation in spite
of its absolute indispensability. Not to mention the squandering of North
Sea gas on small-scale generation to fill gaps.

Whatever happened to the long-term, whole-system view? It all makes me want
to weep sometimes.

-- 
Regards,
Peter.