Clock radios and other clocks plugged into an electrical outlet in Europe are running up to six minutes late due to abnormal energy consumption between Serbia and Kosovo, which is having consequences for the whole continent. The problem is quite serious and goes beyond offering a formidable excuse for chronic latecomers, as explained by ENTSO-E, the association that gathers electricity producers from European countries and coordinates their activities to offer the same standard across the continent. The problem started in the middle of last January and the producers are asking for it to be resolved as soon as possible, to avoid further problems and inconvenience.
The anomalous energy consumption concerns the Serbia-Macedonia-Montenegro (SMM) block and, according to the ENTSO-E analyzes, mainly affects Serbia and Kosovo. The European electricity grid has lost around 113 GWh (gigawatt hour) since mid-January because Kosovo has used more energy than it should. Due to the recurring territorial disputes, Serbia has not given the right electricity supply to Kosovo to offset the increased consumption, consequently leading to an imbalance in the European grid.
To understand the problem, it is necessary to get an idea of how a shared and extended electricity grid like the European one works. Energy suppliers work together to keep all countries connected, so that exchanges can take place when one country has more needs than another, and that peaks can be better managed, i.e. periods when energy demand is very high. high. This means that every “node” of the network (power stations, transformers and other instruments) must be able to detect variations and adapt accordingly to keep supplies stable. The grid supplies alternating current, a type of electric current in which the polarity (+ and -) is continuously reversed over time. The variation occurs with a fixed periodicity, which in the European case is equal to a frequency of 50 Hz (i.e. 50 inversions occur per second).
Keeping the frequency stable on such a large grid is one of the biggest challenges for electricity suppliers. If consumption is lower than the amount of energy produced, the frequency increases; if, on the other hand, consumption is higher than production, then the frequency is lowered. Throughout the European network, the generators are set up with control systems that automatically adjust their work to respond to changes in frequency, in order to keep it constant as consumption changes. In the event that part of the network does not do it adequately, as is happening in Serbia and Kosovo, the network becomes unbalanced with a ripple effect that leads the frequency to move away from the 50 Hz of the standard.
The consequences can be numerous and affect many systems connected to electricity. The closest example to us is that of clock radios and clocks connected to a socket. The simpler models do not have an internal system to regulate themselves, but use the frequency of the electrical network to calculate one second for every 50 variations in the polarity of the electric current. If the frequency changes and deviates a lot from 50 Hz, the clocks start calculating the passage of time incorrectly, marking the wrong time. Newer models of watches have a radio receiver to set the time more precisely, but there are still many more rudimentary watches that don't – for example, those on electric ovens and other household appliances. Until the upstream problem is solved – in Serbia and Kosovo – these clocks will continue to keep the wrong time. Only in the last few days have they accumulated up to 6 minutes late.
The Swiss electricity grid operator has the task of recording the frequency of the entire European grid in real time (find the data here). From mid-January to early March, the frequency has been below 50Hz, sometimes by several hundredths and more recently by a few thousandths, like 49.996Hz. oscillations below 50 Hz.
According to ENTSO-E estimates, by the end of the week the deviations from the standard value are expected to be resolved, but it may still take weeks to fully rebalance the network. On the other hand, it remains to be seen who will have to compensate for the 113 GWh that was missing and which led to the initial imbalance. The leaders of the association also asked that the problem be addressed at a political level, with a solution that affects Serbia and Kosovo.
The disputes between the two countries go far beyond disputes over the electricity grid and energy supplies. Since the end of the war in Kosovo in 1999, the northern part of the region still loyal to Serbia has not paid the central government of Kosovo for the energy it uses. In 2015, an agreement with Serbia seemed to have solved the problem, but the agreed principles were never adopted by the Serbian government. Serbia has responded to reports from ENTSO-E in recent days accusing Kosovo of tapping into its network, without having the permissions to do so.
