Researchers identify a persistent oscillation with a period of exactly one minute in grid-frequency records from power systems across five continents. The pattern appears in 12 grids, from small island systems to the Continental European network, and reflects recurring imbalances between electricity generation and demand. Unlike familiar frequency patterns caused by hourly or 15-minute electricity-market adjustments, or oscillations arising from generator interactions, this signal is unusually regular and phase-coherent. The findings point to synchronized digital control - not a conventional resonance in turbine-governor systems - as its cause.
The proposed mechanism is that digitally controlled devices, especially battery-based uninterruptible power supplies, use clocks or periodic software routines that make many units change their power demand at the same time. Researchers find evidence that these repeated demand peaks can travel across voltage levels and reach transmission networks, producing the observed frequency pattern. The effect is not limited to UPSs: coordinated routines in storage, data centres and other connected devices could create similar disturbances. The oscillation has grown substantially in several grids, can increase wear on hydropower equipment, and has prompted tighter frequency-control requirements. As battery storage, data centres and Internet-connected devices expand - and lower system inertia makes grids more sensitive to imbalances - the risk may rise. The proposed remedy is to redesign device controls to prevent large populations from acting in synchrony.
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