Half of the United States at risk of blackouts next winter
The North American Electric Reliability Corp.'s 2023-24 Winter Reliability Assessment (WRA) report warns of an increased risk of "insufficient energy supply" during extreme cold spells, meaning a greater risk of blackouts.
This concern extends to large swaths of the U.S. and Canadian power grid, affecting approximately 180 million people. Those living in the highlighted regions should consider securing backup sources for energy production, i.e. purchasing an emergency generator.
Power grid operators from Texas to New England are “at risk of insufficient electricity supplies during peak winter conditions,” says the report retrieved by Bloomberg .
The report goes on to state that the reliable operation of the Bulk Power System (BPS) and the availability of fuel for natural gas-fired generators are at risk during severe and widespread cold spells. Recent winter incidents have shown that more than 20% of generating capacity can be disrupted by freezing temperatures in areas of North America that are unaccustomed to such cold. When energy supplies are limited, BPS operators may experience a sharp increase in demand due to the increased use of electric heating systems in colder temperatures. Here are the areas at risk
According to Bloomberg, this year's WRA is “even more dire than last year's report, which said a quarter of Americans were at risk of electrical emergencies due to the cold. It includes for the first time some of the most densely populated areas on the East Coast, a region that relies heavily on natural gas to transition to renewable energy. Gas generators failed during a brief but severe winter storm last December because they either failed or could not get fuel.”
Earlier this year, PJM Interconnection, the electric grid operator in 13 states stretching from Illinois to New Jersey with more than 65 million customers, released a study that found an alarming trend in state policies and federal decarbonization measures across the grid that “present growing reliability risks.” during the transition, due to a potential timing mismatch between resource retirement, load growth, and the pace of new generation entry.”
The growing vulnerabilities of America's grid come as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently released a new forecast showing that El Nino conditions this winter could produce wetter-than-average conditions in the Mid-Atlantic states.
The shift towards “green energy,” phasing out fossil fuel production in favor of unreliable solar and wind power, contributes to the risks of a grid shutdown event in freezing weather. This also comes at a time when energy demand is increasing as more Americans than ever charge their electric vehicles.
But the Biden administration should have strengthened the nation's electric grid with billions of dollars in green spending… If that were the case, there wouldn't be these warnings.
For those living in states now susceptible to elevated risks of grid outage events due to cold weather, consider a home generator. Plus, securing a Starlink for internet backup could make your life easier.
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The article Half of the US at risk of blackout next winter comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/mezzi-stati-uniti-a-rischio-di-blackout-il-prossimo-inverno/ on Fri, 10 Nov 2023 08:00:51 +0000.