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Roberto De Vido's avatar

Alex, you may be interested to hear that the two main industrial regions of Japan, centered around Tokyo and Osaka, operate at different frequencies (50 Hz and 60 Hz) and are (as a result) minimally connected, with little energy sharing possible. This is the result of the two industrial regions separately importing equipment in the late 19th century from Europe (Germany) and the United States, slowing building capacity and distribution, and never reconciling the two systems. This anomaly bit Japan (Tokyo and eastern Japan, really) in the ass after the earthquake and tsunami of 2011, after which the government shut down the country's nuclear energy plants, creating an electricity shortage. The western region had plenty of power, but the "pipe" connecting the two regions has a tiny capacity, and energy sharing is not possible at scale.

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Jonathan McMenamin-Balano's avatar

Alex, great read and thank you for putting this together.

Have a great day and keep up the good work.

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