A 208Y/120 V branch circuit can carry three phases and a shared neutral to 120 V outlets in a rack (White Paper 38, p. 5). A published case study calls neutral oversizing of 170% to 200% an unnecessary cost, and says legacy design practices should be updated (White Paper 38, p. 12). It measured a…
Blog
Software-Defined Electricity
Browse by topic:
-
-
Last updated: 2026-10-30 ERCOT’s NOGRR282 has been in effect since 2026-08-01 (ERCOT NOGRR282). The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved it on 2026-07-09 (PUCT report). It adds two new sections to the Nodal Operating Guide, 2.6.4 for frequency and 2.15 for voltage (PUCT report). The ERCOT issue page lists the voltage section as 2.14, but…
-
The Pentagon is preparing major military bases in the continental United States to sustain essential operations on their own for at least 90 days, Fox News Digital reported on 25 October 2026 from documents it reviewed. The requirement sits under FORTRESS America, a program the Secretary of War established in a memo dated 30 September…
-
A data center that drops off the grid during a fault is now a regulatory matter in Texas, and national rules are on their way (ERCOT, FERC). Three rules changed in 2026. FERC ordered NERC on 2026-07-16 to file national standards for computational loads (FERC). ERCOT’s NOGRR282 has been in force since 2026-08-01 (ERCOT). NERC’s…
-
CLO-001-1, CLO-002-1 and CLO-003-1 are three NERC Reliability Standards for data centers and similar sites, adopted by NERC’s Board and awaiting FERC approval. They cover interconnection studies and modeling data (001), operating data and communications (002), and protection coordination and disturbance recording (003). Each applies to Computational Load Sites with a total load of 50…
-
Last updated: 2026-10-29 Computational loads are not subject to NERC Reliability Standards today (PJM Inside Lines, 2026-08-11). NERC’s Board adopted CLO-001-1, CLO-002-1 and CLO-003-1 on 2026-10-26, and NERC lists all three as pending regulatory filing (NERC One Stop Shop workbook, NERC newsroom, 2026-10-27). FERC set 2026-12-31 as the filing deadline (FERC order, Docket RD26-7-000). In…
-
A motor runs at a lagging power factor because its current is delayed from the voltage. A capacitor runs at a leading power factor because its current comes earlier than the voltage (maker’s paper, p. 4). NERC says some large loads “are capacitive loads and operate at a leading power factor,” because their power electronics…
-
Yes, by the mechanism NERC describes. Its July 2025 white paper names uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units and power supplies in IT equipment, and variable speed drives in cooling, as examples of data center harmonic sources (NERC white paper, p. 33). All three are power electronics (NERC, p. 33). The paper gives no harmonic figure…
-
NERC’s PRC-029-2 became mandatory and enforceable on October 1, 2026. (NERC One Stop Shop workbook) It sets frequency and voltage ride-through requirements for inverter-based resources, such as solar, wind and battery storage plants. (NERC PRC-029-2) (Federal Register, Order No. 909) It applies to generator owners. It does not cover loads such as data centers. (NERC…
-
A standard power meter reports RMS averages every second or three. A voltage sag lasts a few cycles. A switching transient lasts microseconds. The meter reports that nothing happened, and the breaker on the floor disagrees. This is why so many electrical problems present as mysteries: the instrument that should explain the trip cannot see…
-
On July 22, 2026, a 230 kV line in Northern Virginia was automatically removed from service after a mechanical failure. The fault was properly removed from the system. Data centers in the Dominion zone then disconnected from the grid and transferred to backup generation. PJM called it the largest such event in its history. (PJM…
-
Update, October 2026. FERC’s order of July 16, 2026 (Docket RD26-7-000) sets a deadline of December 31, 2026. NERC must file its computational load standards by that date, and FERC expects its registry criteria by the same date. NERC’s Project 2026-02 passed its final ballot on October 14, 2026, covering CLO-001-1, CLO-002-1 and CLO-003-1 with…
-
Our early research wrote it plainly: the difference in current balance across phases returns directly as current on the neutral line. A neutral sized for balance carries the imbalance as heat. That makes phase balance a safety property. Excess neutral current raises conductor temperature, lifts neutral-to-ground voltage, and interferes with electronics that reference ground. The…
