https://sputnikglobe.com/20231110/brittle-us-power-grid-faces-threat-of-winter-blackouts---report-1114857663.html
Brittle US Power Grid Faces Threat of Winter Blackouts - Report
Brittle US Power Grid Faces Threat of Winter Blackouts - Report
Sputnik International
Experts say climate change is driving increased snowfall and more frequent winter storms, but America’s aging power grid leaves the country woefully unprepared.
2023-11-10T03:33+0000
2023-11-10T03:33+0000
2023-11-10T03:33+0000
americas
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Experts say climate change is driving increased snowfall and more frequent winter storms, but America’s aging power grid leaves the country woefully unprepared.That’s the message from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a nonprofit formed by the energy industry that regulates power delivery throughout the continent. The group released a report on Wednesday blaming a lack of investment for contributing to a system of energy infrastructure that risks breakdown in cold weather conditions.“NERC’s 2023–2024 Winter Reliability Assessment finds that much of North America is again at an elevated risk of having insufficient energy supplies to meet demand in extreme operating conditions,” read a statement from the group.“As observed in recent winter reliability events, over 20% of generating capacity has been forced off-line when freezing temperatures extend over parts of North America that are not typically exposed to such conditions.”The reliability of continued power generation was cited as a primary concern, especially as natural gas grows in usage. The report’s authors stated this form of energy is particularly vulnerable to winter storms, both at the site of generation and via disruptions to transportation networks needed to deliver fuel to power plants.Insufficient weatherization is also a problem according to the report, especially in portions of the Midwest and Texas, where major outages in 2021 caused multiple deaths. State officials recently pledged more funding to upgrade the energy grid there, but major improvements have yet to materialize.NERC claims Texas is at even greater risk this year as population growth in the state has outpaced attempts to bring new power plants online. The lack of capacity puts the state at risk for blackouts as increased heating drives energy consumption during cold winter months.Key to the problem is climate change, which is driving more intense storms in areas of the country where residents are not typically prepared for prolonged periods of winter weather.More frequent polar vortex disruptions are impacting the jet stream, the current of air that moves weather systems across the United States. Meteorologists have observed a tendency for the jet stream to dip further south, carrying storms across Texas, Oklahoma, and other states not accustomed to the kinds of winter conditions more often seen in the north. The result is a power system strained by increased demand and infrastructure unprepared for intense weather.“For decades, the system had been built and planned around summer peaks,” said John Moura, a director at NERC. But as in Texas, increasing portions of the country are seeing the greatest challenge to their grids during winter months.In contrast, Washington, California, and New Mexico were among the states found to be most prepared for winter threats to the grid. As these states move to adopt renewable forms of energy they’ve made investments in the storage capability needed to maintain transmission during periods of reduced output for wind and solar power. The backup capacity increases redundancy in the event of a failure elsewhere in the grid.
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weather, severe weather, storm, power outages, energy, us energy, winter storms, power supply issues, climate change
weather, severe weather, storm, power outages, energy, us energy, winter storms, power supply issues, climate change
Brittle US Power Grid Faces Threat of Winter Blackouts - Report
Energy delivery networks in Texas, the Midwest, and the Eastern United States were found to be insufficiently prepared to withstand winter storms amidst increased demand.
Experts say climate change is driving increased snowfall and more frequent winter storms, but America’s aging power grid leaves the country woefully unprepared.
That’s the message from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a nonprofit formed by the energy industry that regulates power delivery throughout the continent. The group released a report on Wednesday blaming a lack of investment for contributing to a system of energy infrastructure that risks breakdown in cold weather conditions.
“NERC’s 2023–2024 Winter Reliability Assessment finds that much of North America is again at an elevated risk of having insufficient energy supplies to meet demand in extreme operating conditions,” read a statement from the group. “As observed in recent winter reliability events, over 20% of generating capacity has been forced off-line when freezing temperatures extend over parts of North America that are not typically exposed to such conditions.” The reliability of continued power generation was cited as a primary concern, especially as natural gas grows in usage. The report’s authors stated this form of energy is particularly vulnerable to winter storms, both at the site of generation and via disruptions to transportation networks needed to deliver fuel to power plants.
Insufficient weatherization is also a problem according to the report, especially in portions of the Midwest and Texas, where major outages in 2021 caused multiple deaths. State officials recently pledged more funding to upgrade the energy grid there, but major improvements have yet to materialize.
NERC claims Texas is at even greater risk this year as population growth in the state has outpaced attempts to bring new power plants online. The lack of capacity puts the state at risk for blackouts as increased heating drives energy consumption during cold winter months.
Key to the problem is climate change, which is driving more intense storms in areas of the country where residents are not typically prepared for prolonged periods of winter weather.
More frequent polar vortex disruptions are impacting the jet stream, the current of air that moves weather systems across the United States. Meteorologists have observed a tendency for the jet stream to dip further south, carrying storms across Texas, Oklahoma, and other states not accustomed to the kinds of winter conditions more often seen in the north. The result is a power system strained by increased demand and infrastructure unprepared for intense weather. “For decades, the system had been built and planned around summer peaks,” said John Moura, a director at NERC. But as in Texas, increasing portions of the country are seeing the greatest challenge to their grids during winter months.
In contrast, Washington, California, and New Mexico were among the states found to be
most prepared for winter threats to the grid. As these states move to adopt renewable forms of energy they’ve made investments in the storage capability needed to maintain transmission during periods of reduced output for wind and solar power. The backup capacity increases redundancy in the event of a failure elsewhere in the grid.
