Center number: MN018

Candidate name: Munkhtsetseg Batmunkh

Candidate number: 1014
Question: How hydropower helps countries to create electric energy security?
Topic: Sustainable living

Introduction

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy security is "uninterrupted

availability of energy sources at an affordable price".

Uninterrupted availability is the short-term security, "the ability of the energy system
to react promptly to sudden changes in the supply-demand balance," 1 meaning energy
production and consumption must always be balanced. While affordable price focuses
on long-term security, "timely investments to supply energy in line with economic
developments and environmental needs"2. (Energy Security – Topics, n.d.)

Issue Blackout

From several different issues related to energy security, especially issues related to
short-term security and from the facility side. I chose blackout as the most diverse and
significant issue. There are many misconceptions around the world among electricity
consumers who do not have that much knowledge about power grids that having
blackouts is the worker's or the government's fault for not taking care of the energy
source correctly or for not building enough power resources, but they are not valid.

1 Towards Energy Security for the Twenty-First Century.

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/71825

2 Energy security – Topics - IEA. https://www.iea.org/topics/energy-security

 According to IHS Markit research in 2021, major power outages included more than
4% of the global population, roughly 350 million people (Our Experts, n.d.). Causes
include extreme weather, supply shortages, demand growth and technical failures.
Human intentional and unintentional mistakes and cyber or physical attacks are also
causes of blackouts.
According to climate central, between 2000 and 2021, about 83% of reported
significant outages in the U.S. were attributed to weather-related events.
(Surging Weather-Related Power Outages, 2022)
Furthermore, the fact that we need to be more capable of managing weather makes
weather-related outages more challenging to manage or prevent.

The causes above relate to grid instability, an essential part of short-term energy
security, which is "the ability of the energy system to react promptly to sudden changes
in the supply-demand balance."3

Once a power station produces electricity, it cannot be stored on the transmission line
or the grid. In that case, the electricity produced and consumed must be the same or
balanced. The most common stable frequency in the grid is 50Hz and 60Hz in the USA
(Grid Stability, n.d.).If the frequency is not held at a stable rate and is dropped more
than 0.050Hz from the reference frequency for more than a few minutes, the grid is at
risk of collapsing.

National perspective

An example of frequency dropping happened when the 2021 Texas power outage
happened during a winter storm and cold that lasted for consecutive days. Texas has a
60Hz frequency standard, which dropped below 59.4 hz. It seems like a small number,
but it is a critical number. Texas was saved from a blackout within 4 minutes 23
seconds by shedding a total of 5000 Mw from the system. (Magness, n.d.)

3 Towards Energy Security for the Twenty-First Century.

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/71825
 ERCOT grid frequency during the critical time of load shedding and generation
capacity outages on the morning of February 15, 2021 (ERCOT, 2021)

Texas did not face a blackout or collapse, but the crisis could not be avoided, leaving
4.5 million people without power. (Fechter, 2022)I learned that power outages are not all
grid collapse or a blackout through doing this research.

All demand and supply issues came together and caused an enormous, unavoidable
stress on the grid. Citizens who had their electricity cut claim the power outage was
avoidable, and the system was unprepared. It is understandable from their point of view
that if I got my electricity cut off during cold nights. Nevertheless, the system did
everything it could to avoid a blackout, which would have led them to weeks or months
of more extended outages.
(Why Does the Electricity Grid Have to Stay in Balance? n.d.)

Global perspective

In 2003 almost 50 million people were left with no electricity for two days due to the
Northeast Blackout on August 14 (August 2003 (Northeast Blackout, 2003) (Efford,
2003). The blackout started just because of tree branches touching the power lines. It
became more serious throughout the nation by having a lack of situational awareness
which is human error and some equipment failures. The event caused so much
economic damage, estimated at 6 billion dollars. It even resulted in almost 100 deaths
(Bell & Anderson, n.d.)because the blackout increased accidental deaths and injuries.
Facing many other insecurities.

During a complete blackout hacking into bank systems, more accidents due to traffic
lights not working, closures in retail businesses, and all shutdowns in all other
equipment that requires electricity. Even clean water and pump systems are dependent
on electricity.
Suggested solution

Regarding the blackout caused by energy insecurity, first, we should prevent it as

much as possible and, simultaneously, have a black start plan if a blackout occurs. For
solutions, we must first prevent it at all costs and take action as fast as possible.

Also, When there is a black start process and your power returns, you should not turn
on high electricity appliances immediately or try to charge everything immediately. The
whole grid took so much work to back up, but putting stress on it again is a considerable
risk.

Apart from things that consumers could do to help prevent a blackout. We need to
mention how the country could back up after a blackout. That is more challenging than
people might think. It is not just power plants turning off and turning on. It's a way more
complicated process, which could take weeks to do.

Hydropower

Hydropower is the best way to a black start, but that does not mean countries with
significant hydroelectric sources are not prone to blackouts interrupting energy security.
Hydropower is not number one on the chart regarding capacity rate or reliability. It was
5th on the chart, and nuclear power is first being able to provide energy 92.7 per cent of
the time(2021) (What Is Generation Capacity? 2020)
Due to safety issues and needing electricity supply to work the same as power plants
is not suitable. (Appendix A to Part 50—General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power
Plants, n.d.)Other power sources are not suitable for starting the system after a
shutdown. One example is that power plants use 5% to 10% of the electricity it creates
(Turner, 2010, 1-5)
 So if it is shut down completely, it is likely not to turn back on until a local supply is
working to give sufficient amounts of electricity for big power plants to work. Comparing
sun and wind power, some could be used as black starters, but they have a small
capacity rate and aren't available all day. (Black Start and Voltage Establishment
Strategy for PMSG-Based Wind Turbine, 2022) Combustion turbines are a compatible
source for the black start, but it requires fuel to be transported from the source, causing
some limits during supply shortages. Hydropower was defined as the most suitable by a
report saying, "Hydroelectric power plants meet all the desired attributes for a black
start: .. their station power requirements are low, restart is fast and simple, and they can
operate efficiently in the early stages of restoration when the system frequency is not
stable."(Hydropower Plants as Black Start Resources, 2019)

Restoring power after a blackout as fast as possible will avoid a long-lasting crisis and
economic crash. Another contribution that Hydropower could make to the energy
security plan is its capability for reliability and economic independence for developing
countries.

Local perspective

Even the benefit we mentioned earlier, its potential for sudden demand
requirements, is also of the benefits it provides a developing country. Mentioning
economic insecurity, we face: Mongolia is a country that imports electricity from Russia
and China. The energy demand is low during summer, but the load peaks, causing
them to rely more on imported electricity ties. A limit is set for the import; if the demand
exceeds the limit, possible outage risks could appear. The benefits of Erden Buren,
located among the eastern three provinces, would be decreasing the number of imports,
which is suitable for the economic issues in the energy industry. Mongolia could
produce one kgb of electricity twice as cheap as they import. Most importantly, it is
decreasing the dependence on outside sources for Western provinces as they rely most
on imported electricity. Providing the Altai-Uli area power system with an uninterrupted
non-defective supply.
("Монгол ТВ")

Evaluation of sources of information

It was an issue happening all around the world, but the details of the sources were
different. Sources such as the website of the Energy Department of the U.S. was
detailed and based on evidence and data facts and were the current, reliable source,
including the other references it used. However, as it was only a U.S.-based site, the
data were only about the U.S. IEA was an example of an international organization
source which provided people with real-time reports. Reports were hard to read, but the
information inside was useful. Reports were written by experts in that specific type of
field, and not only experts wrote it, but the data was all based on research and events
that happened.

Asian and African countries were both issued with energy insecurity, but the details of
the power outages and blackouts weren't great; the exact causes and economic or other
consequences it faced were not mentioned, clearly giving me a hard time for using it as
an example, so having hardly any reliable source for it. Local sites needed to be more
informed about the issue instead of just announcing the topic without deep down
explaining it.

Conclusion

The question of how Hydropower could help a country create energy security could be
answered by explaining the energy security and in what ways it could contribute. First,
energy security creates safety in the system. While providing the system with an electric
supply, it also provides a backup after a blackout which I chose as an issue. Regarding
its capacity, safety, and ability to back up without electricity from an external source, it is
mentioned as the best black starter.
On the economic side, especially for developing countries, building hydroelectric power
reduces the dependence on imported electricity, which could lead to energy insecurity
and non-constant electricity. It also reduces the financial pressure because they
produce electricity in their own country.
Reflection

I chose this topic due to getting informed about the energy industry crisis my country is
facing by my parents. And also doing some research on SDG goal 7 affordable and
clean energy. They talked about how we buy expensive imported electricity but gave it
back for free. "Energy" the topic itself was extensive and had many professional
engineering issues around it. At first, I thought of an issue about the energy
independence of countries. However, after a small quantity of research, I learned that
energy, especially electricity, is a "system" that could be interconnected even globally.

After deciding to switch the direction of my report, I chose to write research from the
facility side instead of the economic side. That is why my country's perspective and
issues are not the main or the most significant thing I concentrated on. By doing this
research, I realized that electricity is one of the most significant essentials for our daily
life. I and even others needed to be educated or informed about it. Just reading how the
power station needed an external source of electricity to restart shifted my mind to think
about the difficulties of black start. The research made me realize how energy security
isn’t a simple privilege to have but an essential part of an infrastructure.