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A team led by Forschungszentrum Jülich says routine state-of-charge checks by large battery storage systems are causing measurable, once-a-minute fluctuations in electricity use and grid frequency. The researchers found the pattern at battery sites on a Jülich campus and say it appears globally; staggering the checks could reduce the synchronization.
Researchers led by Forschungszentrum Jülich have traced recurring, once-a-minute fluctuations in power-grid frequency to routine checks by large battery storage systems, according to a study published in Nature Energy. The finding offers a possible way to limit the disturbances: spread the checks across different times rather than starting them together at the top of each minute.
The investigation followed observations by TenneT Germany, which reported brief frequency dips in the European power grid recurring every 60 seconds over several years. The deviations were measurable but, according to the Jülich report, did not threaten grid security. Their regular timing pointed researchers toward a cause controlled by a clock and involving many devices acting in sync.
To test the idea, the researchers installed measurement points on end-use equipment at 80 locations in the Living Lab Energy Campus at Jülich. They found the same periodic consumption pattern at locations using large battery storage systems to support an uninterrupted electricity supply. A closer examination of one system identified a consumption spike at the start of each minute during its power check, the report said.
The team included researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich, the University of Cologne and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The paper, “One-minute frequency disturbances from unintended synchronization in cyber–physical power systems,” was published in Nature Energy in 2026 (DOI: 10.1038/s41560-026-02144-0). The researchers say their observations indicate the effect is not limited to Europe.
How Synchronized Checks Affect Grid Equipment
The finding matters because battery storage is expanding as part of electricity systems, while the devices’ routine checks can create a collective demand pulse when many units follow the same schedule. The Jülich team says those short spikes can affect the operation of hydroelectric turbines: a sudden change in demand can make a turbine slow briefly and then speed back up, adding to wear and tear.
The report gives Ireland as an example of a system where the signal has grown. There, data centres with large-scale battery storage account for around one-fifth of electricity demand, and the one-minute signal’s amplitude quadrupled between 2016 and 2021. That observation does not by itself show that battery checks explain every part of the increase, but it illustrates why the researchers say the issue could become more relevant as storage use grows.
The proposed response is operational rather than a change to the purpose of storage: randomize the timing of routine checks so that many systems do not draw additional power at the same instant. If adopted, that could reduce synchronized demand spikes while allowing battery systems to continue their backup role. The study does not establish how widely manufacturers or operators would need to change their settings to achieve that result.
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From Grid Frequency to Campus Measurements
Grid frequency reflects the balance between electricity supply and demand, and it can shift in response to changes such as power-plant switching, electricity trading and variations in renewable generation. The Jülich researchers say those influences made the pattern difficult to isolate. The especially regular 60-second cycle suggested that a clock-based process, rather than a single unexpected event, was involved.
Researchers also concluded that the effect required many devices to consume electricity at the same time, making an individual consumer or generator an unlikely explanation. Measurements at the Living Lab Energy Campus then helped connect the grid pattern to battery storage. The report says there are no binding standards for these power checks; Witthaut suspects many manufacturers chose a one-minute interval and set it to begin at the start of each minute. That is his explanation of how the timing may have become aligned, not a confirmed account of every manufacturer’s design choices.
““It really was years of detective work.””
— Dirk Witthaut, research lead, as quoted by Forschungszentrum Jülich
Other Devices May Also Be Involved
The findings identify battery storage checks as a cause of the observed signal, but the researchers caution that they may be only part of the problem. The report does not quantify how much of the one-minute fluctuation worldwide comes from batteries, or whether other digitally controlled devices create similar timed patterns.
It is also not clear from the report how many manufacturers use the same check interval, whether all systems begin checks at the start of each minute, or how much turbine wear can be attributed to the fluctuations. The Ireland figure describes a change in the signal’s amplitude between 2016 and 2021; the source does not provide a separate estimate of the contribution from each type of equipment.
Staggering Checks Is the Proposed Fix
The researchers’ proposed next step is to schedule battery power checks at randomized times rather than aligning them to the minute. The Jülich report presents this as a simple potential remedy, but does not announce a rollout, a manufacturer commitment or a timetable for changes.
Further work would need to establish how broadly the pattern appears across storage systems and other digitally controlled loads, and whether changing check schedules measurably reduces grid-frequency disturbances and equipment wear. Until those details are available, the study’s central result is a supported explanation for the regular signal, alongside an intervention that researchers say could limit it.
Key Questions
What is causing the one-minute grid fluctuations?
The study links the fluctuations to large battery storage systems that check their state of charge or power status once a minute. When many checks start together, they can create a brief increase in electricity consumption.
Did the frequency dips threaten grid security?
No threat was reported in the Jülich account. TenneT observed measurable, recurring dips, but the report says they were not a threat to grid security.
How did researchers connect the pattern to batteries?
They measured electricity use at end-use equipment at 80 campus locations. The periodic pattern appeared at locations with large battery storage, and investigators found a consumption spike at the start of each minute during a power check on one system.
What fix do the researchers suggest?
They suggest distributing checks across different times, rather than having many systems start at the same minute boundary. The report does not say that manufacturers or operators have adopted this change.
Could other devices contribute to the signal?
Yes. Witthaut said other digitally controlled appliances, including air conditioners and heat pumps, may show similar patterns. The researchers say it cannot be ruled out that battery storage is only part of the cause.
Source: fz-juelich.de
