Blistering Heat Wave Stressing Nation's Power Grid

[Purveyor]

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(07-20) 11:35 PDT NEW YORK, (AP) --

A lengthy, blistering heat wave that is blanketing the eastern half of the United States is putting significant stress on the nation's power grid as homeowners and businesses crank up their air conditioners.

Utilities say they're ready for high power demand and widespread electricity shortages or outages are unlikely. Lines and equipment are not fully taxed and there is more generating and transmission capacity available than usual because of the weak economy. Also, not many major storms are in the forecast, meaning fewer downed power lines.

The heat wave began a week ago in the Plains states and is expected to spread east through the weekend. It is lasting longer than most heat waves and is spread over an unusually wide area, according to Travis Hartman, the Energy Weather Manager at MDA Earthstat, which proves forecasts for utilities and other weather-dependent businesses.

Hartman predicts 90- to 100-degree weather from Chicago to Boston from Wednesday through the weekend. The Midwest is expected to see peak heat on Thursday while thermometers in eastern states will top out on Friday and Saturday. Philadelphia may break a 1957 record of 100 degrees on Friday, while Washington, D.C., is expected to reach 103, tying a record from 1926.

MORE...

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/07/20/national/a113551D98.DTL

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. Shh!

[lib2DaBone]

2. Shhhh... $2 Billion to the Afghan War Lords is more important......

[lonestarnot]

3. Lets invest in fart fans.

:crazy:

[lovuian]

4. Global Warming seems to be more and more

a factor

[ixion]

5. Yet another great reason to put a hybrid wind/solar array on every property in the US

It would create jobs, and take pressure off the grid, to boot.

[XemaSab]

7. Yet another reason NOT to invest more in wind

If the whole grid was trying to use wind as baseload, we'd be having brownouts.

[ixion]

8. ... yawn, more deniers

:eyes:

[XemaSab]

9. Um, what?

:shrug:

[ixion]

11. Your attitude is the primary reason we still burn fossil fuels for ALL electricity

Please note that I didn't say that the wind solar hybrid would 'take the place of'. I said it would 'take the pressure off of', which it most certainly would.

But thanks to folks like you, alternative energy continues to get put off in lieu of burning coal or nuclear power. It's part of the reason we're having energy problems now.

[XemaSab]

15. Solar would take the pressure off

Wind... where is it currently windy in the Eastern US?

[ixion]

17. it's always best to have a hybrid array

because when it IS windy, you produce a great deal of power that can be stored for later use.

Also, Honeywell makes a brushless turbine that will produce power is almost no wind. It's a small, easily mountable turbine that produces 2500 watts at peak. What's not to like about that? :shrug:

[NickB79]

19. Ah, but storage is the key, isn't it?

And we have very little invested in storage at this time.

[ixion]

20. Certainly, storage is something that needs to be improved...

Deep cycle batteries are caustic, expensive and have a pretty short shelf life. So storage isn't out of the question, and certainly not a deal breaker, but yeah, battery storage needs to improve dramatically.

[WatsonT]

13. Acknowledging basic engineering facts = denier

A windmill in every backyard and a solar panel on every roof will completely cover all our energy needs.

Anyone who tries to use book learnin and facts and whatnot to argue against that is a denier and probably bought by the oil industry.

[ixion]

16. I'll thank you not to read BS like that into my posts.

I said nothing of the sort. Take your snark elsewhere.

If your premise is that hybrid renewable arrays will take no pressure off the grid, then it is you, sir, who needs to read a book. I've read several on practical photovoltaics. How many have you read?

My property is ENTIRELY off-grid. Is yours?

[BiggJawn]

6. Deferred maintenance

More important to get those fat dividend cheques out to the investors than prevent a blackout that will take 6 states with it..

[WatsonT]

14. Also wallstreet had to be bailed out first before all that infrastructure work

or it would appear, in place of all that infrastructure work.

[BNJMN]

10. 'Blistering Heat Wave Stressing Nation's Power Grid'....Again.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/08/09/smart.grid/index.html

[July16th-20th]

12. Just remember it has NOTHING TO DO WITH GLOBAL WARMING!

:rofl:

[Bozita]

18. Been living with a brownout since a week ago Monday

Every time another storm passes, power goes out for many and I get triaged down to the bottom of the work list until the line workers catch up.

Only the workers never quite get caught up.

Seems to me the local utility could use some additional linemen.

But that ain't gonna happen, is it?