overvoltage

[oh-ver-vohl-tij]

noun

1. Electricity.,  excess voltage.

2. Physics.,  the amount by which the voltage applied to an ionization chamber exceeds the Geiger-Müller threshold.

overvoltage

/ ˈəʊvəˌvəʊltɪdʒ /

noun

1. a voltage above the normal level

Word History and Origins

Origin of overvoltage¹

First recorded in 1905–10; over- + voltage

Example Sentences

The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity said in a report earlier this month that the April blackout was caused by overvoltage, as the grid struggled to tackle sudden power losses.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A final report, to be published in the first quarter of next year, will investigate the root causes of the overvoltage and the actions employed to control voltage in the system.

Read more on BBC

Damian Cortinas, president of the association of electricity grid operators Entso-e, said the incident was the first known blackout to be caused by overvoltage, which occurs when there is too much electrical voltage in a network.

Read more on BBC

Overvoltage can be caused by surges in networks due to oversupply or lightning strikes, or when protective equipment is insufficient.

Read more on BBC

Instead, it said it had been forced to go offline by an “overvoltage situation in the national grid system which, to avoid extreme damage, causes the wind power plant to automatically switch off.”

Read more on Seattle Times