“Blackout USA” is a prototype digital experience that allows students and others to learn about power system operations by interactively being introduced to various aspects of power system operations. The main learning objectives are:
- Learn about the types of electric generators (wind, solar, nuclear, gas, coal) and their differences.
- Learn about electric demand or “load” and balancing generation to load at all times.
- Learn about “reserves” and how to keep enough generating units running to prepare for future events.
- Learn about grid frequency, how it is controlled by the load-generation balance, and how loss of frequency control can lead to blackout.
- Learn about transmission lines and how to control their loading levels to avoid cascading blackouts.
- Learn about cost considerations in operating a power grid.
It is recommended to watch this explanatory video first for an introduction to the concepts and how to play the game. There are additional instructions and hints within the game itself.
And click below to try the game out for yourself. It works best on Firefox and does not work on mobile devices (yet).
Keep in mind this is only a prototype. Bug reports and other feedback are welcome; just send me an email at abirchfield@tamu.edu. Also keep in mind that power system operations are necessarily greatly simplified for the purposes of teaching the core concepts. Hope you enjoy and learn something!