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WanderingEng · 604 days ago · link · · parent · post: Californians asked to cut power use as extreme heat approaches
Synchronizing the grids is easy: at an open circuit breaker between the grids, put a transmission voltage to 115 V transformer on each side. Put two lightbulbs in series between the two sides. When the bulbs go dim, close the breaker. This is how it was done in the old days. The more modern way (maybe 1960s?) is to have a synch scope. Looks kind of like a clock and displays the angle between. Clock points up: close breaker. Today it's done with microprocessor relays that wait until the angle is small and then issue the close signal. The real issue is getting the system secure as fast as possible. This means multiple transmission ties ready to close right away.