Millions of Americans are facing power outages this summer as sweltering weather, overburdened power plants, and unreliable green energy sources combine to create the perfect storm of trouble.
States stretching from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean and home to tens of millions of Americans could struggle to produce enough electricity for their residents this summer.
The “MISO” portion of America’s power grid — whose full name is Midcontinent Independent System Operator — faces the greatest risk of a widespread outage.
That warning was issued by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which released a map showing Michigan, most of Indiana, most of Illinois, and Wisconsin were in trouble.
Also most at risk are Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and a small portion of East Texas. This high risk rating means that the existing power grid “may not be sufficient to handle peak loads under both normal and extreme conditions,” according to NERC.
Any state further west of this area is at increased risk, according to NERC. This means that power plants should have sufficient resources “to meet peak demand under normal conditions, but may not be sufficient under extreme conditions”.
This map shows the areas at greatest risk of power outages this summer. Orange means higher than normal risk, while red means extremely high risk
Overloaded power plants need to provide extra power to allow residents to crank up their air conditioners during heat waves, but there may not be enough power to get around
The summer of 2021 saw record temperatures in the Pacific Northwest, sending locals flocking to cold centers like this one in Portland, Oregon. Regulatory agency NERC fears a repeated heatwave could overload power grids and cause widespread outages
Seattle’s streets are taking on a mirage-like quality during last year’s heatwave. Forecasters have predicted another hot summer which they fear could decimate power grids
And much of the higher-risk areas saw exactly those conditions last summer, with normally moderate temperatures in Oregon and Washington hitting nearly 120F for days.
High temperatures will cause people to crank up their air conditioners and use more energy. This puts a strain on the existing power grids – and ecological and economic factors could make it difficult to obtain this energy.
Parts of the Midwest will experience a “shortage of capacity” caused by increased demand and power plant shutdowns as states turn to more renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric and solar power.
However, these energy sources could be hampered by the weather, as droughts in California and the Pacific Northwest are expected to limit hydroelectric power plant output.
Wildfires of this sort, which are becoming more common in the bone-dry western states, could also impede solar energy collection if their smoke and clouds block the sun, creating a vicious cycle.
Last summer, heat waves caused power outages in Washington state, when a utility said it was limiting outages to one hour per customer due to increased demand.
Lake Mead, Nevada, is currently suffering from an historic drought, making it difficult to generate hydroelectric power at a nearby dam
The latest summer energy assessment comes from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, which monitors the stability of power grids across the region.
“It’s a pretty sobering report and it’s clear the risks are spreading,” said John Moura, director of reliability assessment and performance analysis. “I really think this is our most cautionary tale here.”
The organization noted that when energy use returns to normal pre-pandemic levels, electricity will be in short supply, reports BNN Bloomberg.
In addition, traditional power plants are shutting down faster than renewable energy sources can fill, creating a power shortage that can be used in times of need, such as when the sun is out. B. in hot summers, the risks increased.
Low wind speeds could also trigger power outages
In addition, the remaining coal and natural gas plants are running harder than before, increasing the risk that they will fail.
In the Midwest, generation capacity has been reduced by 2.3 percent since last summer after older plants shut down.
This is a problem as the area already needs electricity from nearby regions to keep running.
A key transmission line was also damaged by a tornado in December. The repair will be completed in June.
Gas-fired power plants in Texas unexpectedly shut down last week, but the Electric Reliability Council of Texas says the state has enough electricity to meet expected record June-September demand.
According to BNN Blomberg, some analysts think the Texas report is overly optimistic.