As a rule, power supply to a private home is not without problems. Frequent interruptions and accidents at substations, wire breaks, the repair of which takes much longer than within the city, constant voltage surges - these are just some of the points that country property owners are well aware of. How to solve this problem? There are various options - installing a generator, using alternative energy, using inverter UPSs.
Generators
Gasoline, diesel and gas generators operate on approximately the same principle, namely, the energy of fuel combustion in the engine chamber is converted into mechanical energy, which, in turn, is converted into electricity by the alternator. The installations are quite bulky and noisy, so the use of soundproofing enclosures and installation in rooms not located near the house will be required. To automate load switching from the main current source to the reserve, automatic transfer of reserve (ATS) is used.
Electric generators are the most common solution to problems with power outages in a country house. But this equipment has significant disadvantages that owners of country real estate have to put up with:
- Long transition from main to backup power supply. If there is an automatic transfer switch, automatic switching on and reaching the operating power of the generator takes time - at least a few seconds, but in practice - longer. For boiler automation, sensitive household appliances, and electronics, this leads to reboots, failures, and errors.
- High noise level, harmful emissions. This primarily applies to gasoline and diesel generators - they should not be installed near the house. When installed indoors, supply and exhaust ventilation is required.
- Break in work - there is no completely uninterrupted power supply throughout the day. Generators do not provide a fully autonomous power supply, since they periodically require a technological break in operation. Otherwise, rapid wear of engine parts and jamming are possible.
Generators also have other disadvantages - for example, gas models require quite complex coordination of connection to the main gas pipeline at the local gas service. And all generator sets require regular maintenance. Otherwise, premature wear of engine parts, their failure and costly repairs are possible.
Last resort
Shutting off the power supply is an extreme measure that must be introduced when all other proposals to work according to the rules within the established parameters have not led to results, En+ told Izvestia. The network company should have the right to apply this sanction to persistent violators, and not so much for the purpose of charging a reasonable fee, but to ensure the technical safety of consumption, they added.
The proposal to transfer information about the location of IP addresses to energy retailers is aimed at identifying the volume of electricity consumption for mining in order to isolate it from the total consumption of individuals at preferential tariffs for the population, En+ explained. This proposal was also supported by the Association “Non-Profit Partnership of Territorial Network Organizations” (NP TSO). Natalya Gotova, director of the organization’s department for relations with government authorities, noted that the measure would make it possible to identify the specific type of activity of electricity consumers.
Watt and that's it
Photo: TASS/Alexander Ryumin
Coin in law: the market opposed the ban on cryptocurrencies
Will the legalization of digital assets have a positive effect?
According to Stanislav Shubin, associate professor of the Department of Management and Innovation at the Financial University under the Government, sanctions measures in the State Duma were considered specifically for shadow miners. We are talking about those consumers who, without registering their business, install energy-intensive equipment for mining cryptocurrency in residential premises and garages, he told Izvestia. Such miners consume electricity at residential rates and create an excessive load on the energy system, the expert added.
As Izvestia wrote, the number of shadow cryptocurrency miners in Russia could be 50–100 thousand people. Due to the growing load on the energy system, Russians may face interruptions in electricity supply in the coming years.
At the same time, official mining, especially in large data centers, has a positive effect on the industry; it provides additional effective electricity consumption, says Igor Runets, CEO of BitRiver (operator of data centers for mining).
Watt and that's it
Photo: TASS/Alexander Ryumin
However, when energy-intensive crypto farms are installed in residential premises, and the cost of electricity consumption is calculated according to tariffs for the population, this is the transformation of cheap subsidized electricity into the personal profit of specific enterprising people, said the NP Market Council. The Council of Energy Producers association agrees that the growth of shadow mining has a negative impact on the situation with cross-subsidies in the electricity industry (when low tariffs for the population are provided at the expense of higher rates for business).
alternative energy
This includes solar panels and wind generators. Alternative energy can be a good option for a private home. Firstly, you can always find a place on the roof of a house or on a site for installing equipment. Secondly, the cost of energy production is zero, i.e., apart from periodic simple maintenance, the owner of a country property will not incur any costs for electricity. There is no noise during operation. But these systems also have their disadvantages:
- Low power. The accumulated energy will provide backup, emergency power supply to the home, but you should not count on powering all consumers, especially powerful ones.
- Dependence on weather factors. The absence of sunlight or wind immediately limits the possibilities of alternative energy - in bad weather conditions, you can only use the reserve accumulated in the batteries.
- High price. Solar panels and wind generators are expensive, and not every country house owner can afford to buy them. Installation and commissioning will also require financial costs.
What caused the failure?
The failure occurred on the territory of Kazakhstan. The reason is said to be a surge in capacity for electricity transit due to a significant imbalance created by the Central Asian energy system.
According to the press service of the Kazakh electric network management operator KEGOC, the accident occurred due to an overload of the transit line in Kazakhstan.
“At 11:59 (8:59 Moscow time), due to a significant emergency imbalance created by the power system of Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), there was a surge in power for the 500 kV electricity transit “North-East-South Kazakhstan”. As a result, there was an emergency division of transit “North-East-South of Kazakhstan” with the repayment of a significant part of the consumers in the southern zone of Kazakhstan,” the press service reported.
Question answer
What devices were invented for countries with electricity problems?
Inverter UPS
Inverter UPSs for the home are an ideal option for power backup compared to generators, solar panels and wind generators. They are silent, fully automated, and affordable. No maintenance will be required throughout its entire lifespan.
Installation, startup, and upgrading of an inverter-based uninterruptible power supply kit does not require approval or the participation of specialists - all this can be done independently. And if you have an unstable network in a country house, then the solution would be to include a stabilizer in the UPS system. And then you can count on uninterrupted power supply to both ordinary household consumers (lighting, refrigerator, etc.) and voltage-sensitive electronics and heating boiler automation. Therefore, a UPS is an ideal solution for a summer cottage and private home outside the city.
Voltage drops
Causes
Voltage surges in the network (increase and decrease) can be caused by:
- disconnecting several powerful devices from the network (the load drops sharply and the voltage rises sharply);
- unstable operation of transformer substations;
- zero break or weakening of grounding;
- accidents;
- overload;
- the use of poor materials, poor-quality installation of electrical house wiring;
- welding work.
What is acceptable and what is not
Any service must be provided with high quality, including electricity supply services. The power supply organization must provide:
- uninterrupted 24/7 power supply throughout the year;
An interruption in the provision of public electricity supply services is not allowed if it may lead to the disconnection of networks and equipment that is part of the common property in an apartment building, including pumping equipment, automatic process protection devices and other equipment that ensures trouble-free operation of in-house engineering systems and safe conditions residence of citizens.
- constant compliance of voltage and frequency of electric current with the requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation on technical regulation (GOST 32144-2013).
How to compensate for damage due to a power surge
If there is a strong surge in voltage, household appliances may burn out. Each device is designed for rated voltage with small deviations, and if there is a surge, insulation breakdown and breakdown may occur. Washing machines, routers, computers and other electronics are quite expensive items, so it's useful to know what to do to repair the damage.
The first step is to call the emergency dispatch service
or directly to the management organization, explain that there was a power surge and the equipment was out of order, submit a request to call an electrician.
When the representatives of the management authority and the electrician arrive, you need to make sure that a report is drawn up about the power surge
and which devices are out of order. It is good if a representative of the electricity supply organization is also present when drawing up the act.
Then you need to assess the extent of the damage caused.
. To do this, you can take the equipment to a service center or to a specialized organization involved in examination. Experts will determine the cause of equipment failure and give an opinion on maintainability.
The price of a new device that you buy to replace a broken one, if it cannot be repaired, or the cost of repairing the device will be the amount of compensation. You can also demand compensation for the costs of the examination, for the services of a lawyer (if you turned to him to resolve this situation), and demand compensation for moral damage. True, in most cases, compensation for costs of legal services and moral damage is carried out only in court.
Next, submit an application for compensation for damage caused
, attach a certificate and an expert opinion to the application. You can contact a consumer protection organization - they will help you prepare a claim and fill out the requirements correctly.
If the power supply organization does not want to resolve the situation peacefully, you can contact Rospotrebnadzor, the prosecutor's office, or file a lawsuit.
As a consumer, you are in a weak position, unable to prove the fact of a voltage drop (you simply do not have the necessary measuring equipment for this). The RF Supreme Court ruled that the burden of proof in this case lies with the supplier. The electricity supply organization must prove that the damage to the property of the electricity consumer was caused not due to a voltage drop in the electrical network, but for other reasons.
In addition to compensation, the court will impose a fine in your favor in the amount of 50% of the compensation amount for failure to voluntarily meet the consumer’s requirements. This is provided for in paragraph 6 of Article 13 of the Law of the Russian Federation of 02/07/1992 No. 2300-1 “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”.
How to protect equipment during power surges
It is difficult to predict the outcome of a case in court, and obtaining compensation takes a lot of time and effort. Therefore, it is best to protect the equipment in your apartment from voltage surges.
The most common technical solution to this problem is the installation of a relay, UPS (uninterruptible power supply) or stabilizer. You can choose the appropriate option by looking at the relevant forums on the Internet to see the experiences of those who have already installed protection. You can also consult with electricians.
What is the unified energy ring of Central Asia?
The Unified Energy Ring of Central Asia is a strategic facility for the population of the countries of the Central Asian region. The project to interconnect the energy systems of Central Asian countries was implemented back in 1997. Previously, the system was managed by the Coordination and Dispatch Center in Tashkent and made it possible to regulate seasonal fluctuations in electricity demand and water needs during the irrigation period.
The energy ring previously included 83 power plants in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. All these states had one network of power transmission lines, which made it possible to redistribute electricity flows between the power systems of individual states and use the main reservoirs for irrigation needs. Thus, in the summer, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan supplied their neighbors with excess electricity, and in the winter, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, on the contrary, accumulated water in reservoirs and received electricity from neighboring republics.
In 2003, Turkmenistan left the unified energy system, deciding that it was capable of fully autonomously providing itself with electricity, and in 2009, Tajikistan left the energy ring.
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