UPS Battery Checks Trigger Minute-by-Minute Fluctuations in Global Power Grids
Power grids around the world have shown a puzzling pattern of brief frequency drops occurring exactly once per minute for many years. A research team based in Germany has identified one major contributor: large uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems whose battery-testing routines activate simultaneously.
The scientists explain in the journal Nature Energy that UPS management software often schedules battery checks according to synchronized internal clocks. Although each individual test draws only a modest amount of power, the combined load from thousands of units starting at the same moment produces a measurable dip in grid frequency that quickly returns to normal.
To locate the source, the team deployed measurement equipment at 80 points throughout the Jülich research campus. The distinctive one-minute rhythm appeared exclusively in areas containing large battery installations. Further analysis of a single UPS unit confirmed a sharp rise in power consumption at the beginning of every minute.
The resulting fluctuations are not considered an immediate risk to grid stability. However, they are not harmless: hydroelectric turbines must repeatedly decelerate and re-accelerate to compensate, accelerating mechanical wear on the equipment.
Data from Ireland illustrate the growing scale of the effect. Between 2016 and 2021 the amplitude of the minute-scale frequency signal increased fourfold. The researchers suggest that introducing random time offsets into the battery-test schedules would spread the load and eliminate the synchronized spikes.
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