One-minute frequency disturbances in power systems
The gist
A Jülich-led team found clock-synchronized battery backup checks cause recurring one-minute grid frequency dips.
The dips remain below safety-critical levels, but rising battery numbers could amplify them.
How it unfolded
- 2016 -2021In Ireland, the magnitude of the minute-scale frequency drop grew from about 3 mHz to 12 mHz, and the one-minute signal's amplitude quadrupled.
- Oct 30, 2026A study in Nature Energy identified clock-synchronized software routines as a mechanism contributing to recurring one-minute grid frequency disturbances.
- Oct 30, 2026Forschungszentrum Jülich issued a press release titled "Mystery of 60-Second Fluctuations in Power Grids Solved."