Sri Lanka: power grid + monkey = outage - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2025, 03:42:28 pm
content: Sri Lanka scrambles to restore power after monkey causes islandwide outage (https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sri-lanka-scrambles-restore-power-after-monkey-causes-islandwide-outage-2025-02-13/)

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2025, 04:00:40 pm
content: It would be interesting to see a report on how an individual failure point triggered a nationwide disruption.I get that nowadays the national grids are (mostly) interconnected and thus faults propagate. And by being an island, Sri Lanka doesn’t have the luxury of importing energy from neighboring nations, but still…. This may mean that its transmission grid is either running at full capacity or that there are no contingency capabilities.But that is only my educated guess, which may be incorrect.

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2025, 07:32:28 pm
content: QuoteMy guess is no.

author: NE666
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2025, 08:56:49 pm
content: Quote from: schmitt trigger on February 16, 2025, 04:00:40 pmIt's been done 'better' (bigger) before, albeit without the 'unlicensed monkey'. You might find this interesting;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_blackout_of_1965It's brilliantly treated by James Burke, as the first episode of his 'Connections' series for television;

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2025, 09:24:40 pm
content: If I remember the BBC news report correctly, the monkey came into contact with something actually in the power station rather than out on the power grid. I think it screwed up the control system.Not good for either anyway.

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2025, 10:28:43 pm
content: Loved that show “Connections”.One of my favorites ever.After watching each episode, one would be left in deep thoughts.

author: NE666
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2025, 09:06:48 am
content: Quote from: schmitt trigger on February 16, 2025, 10:28:43 pmSame. I was quite young at the time it first aired in the UK but it left a life-long impression, as did Carl Sagan's Cosmos.A time now sadly past, when writers and presenters lectured to the general public as if they were all university students, rather than toddlers in a kindergarten.The closest I've seen to it in a while is Adam Curtis' work. His "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" series is worth a watch, if you haven't already.

author: theHWcave
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2025, 11:14:18 am
content: How about Tim Hunkin's "The Secret Life of Machines" ?https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtaR0lZhSyAPLuoSbMA29s3Ry8ZUvKff3&si=9pEg-XGsRvlSUn5r

author: NE666
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2025, 11:59:56 am
content: Quote from: theHWcave on February 17, 2025, 11:14:18 amI'm aware of it but have not yet seen it. Living not that far from Tim himself, I have visited his exhibition of home-made arcade machines:https://underthepier.com/panotour/

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2025, 07:20:31 pm
content: A side personal note on blackouts.I once was trapped inside an elevator during a blackout for about 15 minutes. The longest 15 minutes of my life. The deepest darknesses I ever experienced, total silence with the exception of weird noises coming from somewhere. Fortunately I was alone because the environment quickly became suffocating. Had a cellphone in a very low battery condition and I only dared to make a single call to my wife.For the light, I used my wristwatch display’s backlight.Can’t imagine what would be like to be trapped for a couple of hours with a packed elevator.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2025, 05:34:34 am
content: Next time keep one of these in a pocket, for just in case:https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=usb+powerbank&iax=images&ia=images

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2025, 06:52:30 am
content: Meanwhile in the Netherlands, ship with crane takes out two 150 kV phases.https://nos.nl/artikel/2556243-amsterdam-rijnkanaal-weer-vrijgegeven-na-urenlange-stremmingNo disruptions. (except for the shipping channel)

author: pdenisowski
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2025, 10:14:46 am
content: Quote from: Analog Kid on February 16, 2025, 07:32:28 pm"Squirrel fault" was not an uncommon source of power outages where I grew up, although there was usually very little evidence of said squirrel afterwards.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2025, 11:10:04 am
content: There's a Canadian lineman with a YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@Bobsdecline) showing some accidents caused by the local wildlife.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2025, 12:35:21 pm
content: Yes, Bobsdecline is a good channel, it's getting a lot more educational too.Anybody remember when the Weasel knocked out the LHC at CERN?https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/weasel-shuts-down-large-hadron-collider/Apparently there was a previous failure when a bird dropped a baguette on something high voltage too. Reckless continental!

author: pardo-bsso
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 04:13:48 pm
content: At least the Monkey was an external agent and not a disgruntled employee.

author: Black Phoenix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2025, 03:49:09 am
content: Portugal had the same way back in 2000:Quotehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_major_power_outages

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2025, 01:56:27 am
content: https://apnews.com/article/chile-blackout-power-outage-south-america-failure-electricity-8224a4cbcfc98c4f17e7d1e3b00936b5

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2025, 02:31:20 am
content: Sri Lanka is a poor, developing nation (please don't say a third world country because there is no such world or countries). Yet, it was a failure of only under 7 hours on a Sunday. Nobody died. In one of the most developed countries, USA, read about Texas in 2023 with many deaths!https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/18/texas-energy-grid-power-outages-climate-change-infrastructure/#:~:text=And%20in%20Austin%2C%20more%20than,power%20generation%20to%20meet%20demand.Dumb fools are everywhere.

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2025, 04:23:19 pm
content: Quote from: andy3055 on February 26, 2025, 02:31:20 amDo you know what "third world" actually means? The term originated after the 2nd World War to refer to countries which did not aligh themselves with the "first world" (the West) or the "second world" (Russia and its allies). Over time the term became synonymous with the developing nations.

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2025, 11:43:36 pm
content: I do not want to make this a political discussion. Thank you.

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2025, 12:39:40 pm
content: Simply explaining the historic meaning of a phrase does not a political discussion make.I live in SE Texas and went through that winter storm. Fortunately I live close to the Louisiana border and my city and county gets power from a Louisiana company. I did not have even a blink. As I understand it, that situation was a political thing where the politicians thought it was a good idea to allow power companies to set their own rates, to allow multiple power companies to serve the same area, and to not ensure that proper backup was available.There was a hurricane since that winter and once again, while power was lost as is normal in a hurricane, the restoration in my city was a lot faster than in much of neighboring Houston which is served by those multiple companies. I rode it out at home while my daughter's family lost power for over a week in a Houston suburb.All in all, I think I am quite happy with the somewhat higher rates from a single company than living under that system that is supposed to bring lower rates due to competition. I also have a generator, just in case. It has kept my lights on several times in the past several years.What I said above is just some facts, as I understand them. I am not assigning blame to any party or group. Just two ways of doing something and the consequences of choosing one of them. I am a pragmatist: I believe in doing things that actually work.