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The electrical power grid that powers Northern America is not a single grid, but is instead divided into multiple wide area synchronous grids.[1] The Eastern Interconnection and the Western Interconnection are the largest. Three other regions include the Texas Interconnection, the Quebec Interconnection, and the Alaska Interconnection. Each region delivers power at a nominal 60 Hz frequency.[2]
The regions are not usually directly connected or synchronized to each other, but there exist some HVDC interconnectors. The Eastern and Western grids are connected via seven links that allow 1.32 GW to flow between them. A study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that increasing these interconnections would save energy costs.[2]
- ^ When the Grid Was the Grid:The History of North America’s Brief Coast-to-Coast Interconnected Machine -By JULIE COHN
- ^ a b Howland, Ethan (19 October 2021). "Boosting transmission between East, West grids will lower costs: NREL". Utility Dive. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021.