Failures of energy networks can seriously disrupt society. Although the Dutch energy networks are relatively reliable, new risks lurk. Rob Kersten from MIW Consultants explains during the EMC-ESD event about the dangers and possible solutions.
When an explosion occurred on January 17 due to a short circuit at an AEG transformer at the 150KV high-voltage station Hemweg in Amsterdam, a huge power outage which paralyzed the entire capital for more than 24 hours. And more recently, on April 29, 2018, a power outage caused chaotic scenes at Schiphol. Despite the security of supply where grid operator TenneT screens more - 99.99 percent - this is no guarantee for a reliable power supply, says Kersten.
As a principal consultant of MIW, Kersten examines single points of failure (SPOFs) and carries out second opinions at companies. The main theme is a solid energy supply: “I stand for the reliability of systems. They must always work safely. When a chemical factory explodes, it is not fun and makes the newspapers. And then it is often the end of the story,” says Kersten.
He continues: “I am a critically independent technician. I'm used to dealing with companies' dirty laundry. You won't find much about that on my website. My customers don't actually want to know that I've been there.”
Energy security
During his lecture, Kersten will emphasize that energy security is not a given: “The network is as reliable as we are willing to pay for it. According to the ACM, EU rules are in the pipeline that will no longer require network redundancy,” he notes. In his presentation, Kersten also points out that he has still not seen a report on the precise causes of the power outage at Schiphol.
To make current and future energy networks more robust, risk management and emergency power installations are a necessity. In his argument he points out previous mistakes: “The purpose of this lecture is to raise awareness among users of our power network. They simply do not expect disruptions. Data centers do expect that, but only a little. For example, a data center has the UPS in order, but sometimes no system to bring in extra fuel.”
In Kersten's view, another challenge will be the energy transition, in which more and more devices will use electricity and wind turbines and solar panels, among other things, will provide a varying supply. Kersten: “I'm going to talk about risk management, but also about CO2 neutral and zero on the meter. What we are doing is we are making the network more unreliable. Too many solar panels can create an unstable grid.”
DC
Kersten will also zoom in on the advantages and disadvantages of direct current. He particularly wants to emphasize the dangers of so-called arc flash. And the extensive automation of electricity networks – also called smart grids – poses additional risks. For example, hacking attacks can shut down entire power plants, as was shown during cyber operations in Ukraine. Kersten: “The cyber war in Ukraine has been going on for years. They were able to keep this a secret from the population for a long time. There are people who do that as a hobby, or do it for political reasons.”
The lecture by Rob Kersten is during EMC ESD Event held on November 20 at 11:30 am in the NH Conference Center Koningshof in Veldhoven. You can register for a free visit.
Nederlands