The grid's immune system is retiring: Synchronous condensers, AI data centers and the physics gap that software alone can't close

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of retiring coal and gas plants on grid stability and the revival of synchronous condensers.

As coal and gas plants retire, the energy transition conversation focuses on replacing their generation capacity. What gets far less attention is the loss of the physical properties those machines provided for free: inertia that stabilises frequency, fault current that supports voltage during disturbances, and reactive power that regulates voltage across the network. These services come from the physics of enormous spinning rotors synchronised to the grid, responding instantaneously, without sensors, software or control loops. As inverter-based resources replace them, that mechanical immune system disappears, and a new, extreme stress test is arriving at the same time in the form of AI data centres whose loads can swing by hundreds of megawatts in a fraction of a second. Host Bridget van Dorsten is joined by Kristina Carlquist, General Manager of Synchronous Condensers at ABB, and Christian Payerl, Sales Manager of Synchronous Condensers at ABB, to unpack why a technology that has existed for as long as the grid itself is now experiencing a revival. Christian explains the three ancillary services the grid is losing, inertia, short-circuit current and reactive power, and why…

People in this episode

Host: Bridget van Dorsten

Guests: Kristina Carlquist, Christian Payerl

Topics covered

• energy transition
• synchronous condensers
• inertia
• reactive power
• AI data centers
• grid stability

Keywords

• synchronous condensers
• inertia
• reactive power
• AI data centers
• energy transition
• grid stability
• ancillary services

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ABB

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