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Power grids in the us11/19/2022 ![]() "It''s not able to reroute power because we have smart interchanges on the transmission network it's a system that is fundamentally not up to speed. "The idea that so much gas would go offline, because of these freezing events, really speaks to a system that's not adaptable," Kammen said. To put this in perspective, 30 gigawatts is more than the average demand in California, Kammen said. In Texas, the power shortage happened after natural gas plants couldn't supply the 30 gigawatts of power they were expected to supply. This alone, Kammen said, creates a very "inflexible" system. Indeed, fossil fuel power plants are generally built to be far away from population centers, which means that the power has to be shipped long distances. "Fossil fuel grids" like the one in Texas, and like what California used to have until they transitioned away from them, are "really dumb systems - they're not adaptive or flexible, and that is really causing a lot of the problems you're seeing in Texas today," Kammen added. "Many of the problems we're seeing, both in California now in Texas, are due to the fact that the grid we have in both places is dumb and old, as opposed to being smart, new and flexible," said Daniel Kammen, a professor of energy at the University of California, Berkeley. Those blackouts were the first of their kind since 2001 when California faced an electricity crisis.Īll these recent incidents are raising concerns over the fragility of the country's fragmented power grid, and how vulnerable these systems are to extreme weather events compounded by climate change. The situation is eerily similar to what happened in California last summer, when rolling blackouts were sparked by a demand-driven energy shortage then, a massive heat wave increased air conditioner use and forced rolling power outages. Likewise, clean water access is a growing issue as pipes freeze in the Lone Star State.Īnd Texas isn't alone: As the remnants of the winter storm make its way across the Midwest, and a second winter storm looms in the Northeast, rolling power outages are popping up in parts of Missouri, Louisiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oregon. ![]() ![]() Emergency rooms saw a wave of people with carbon monoxide poisoning, the aftermath of attempts to keep warm. According to The New York Times, at least 23 people have died as of Wednesday morning. While power is being restored in some areas, rotating outages are expected to start on Wednesday in Texas. Wednesday marked the third day millions of Texans found themselves without power following a rare winter storm and frigid temperatures dipping into the low 20s. ![]()
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