Results 1 to 1 of 1
Thread Information
Users Browsing this Thread
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
-
08-16-2012, 06:22 AM #1
- Join Date
- May 2007
- Location
- South West Florida (Behind friendly lines but still in Occupied Territory)
- Posts
- 117,696
Reuters, LA Times – California Power Grid On The Brink Of Collapse
Reuters, LA Times – California Power Grid On The Brink Of Collapse
Thursday, August 16, 2012 3:10
An persistent heat wave blankets California as temperatures over 10 degrees higher than historical averages threaten to take down the state’s electricity grid.
NaturalNews – A persistent heat wave that continues to blanket much of Southern California in temperatures as high as 10 degrees or more above average for this time of year is threatening to potentially take down the state’s electricity grid, suggests a recent warning issued by the state’s electricity grid operator. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) issued a “flex” alert on August 9 urging electricity customers to decrease their power consumption habits during peak hours in order to avoid a potential blackout situation.
Many areas of Southern California reached record-level temperatures just days prior to the alert’s issue, and temperatures were only expected to continue escalating into the weekend.
(http://latimesblogs.latimes.com). Because of the heat, more people than usual have been using their air conditioners to cool off, which has greatly taxed an already overburdened energy system that was recently made worse by the shutdown of the radiation-leaking San Onofre nuclear power plant on the Southern California coast.
“We are having above-normal temperatures, especially on the coast,” said Steven Greenlee, a CAISO spokesman, to Reuters. “We’ve got higher demand because of the temperatures and, as we had anticipated when San Onofre went offline, supplies are getting tighter.”
California heat wave could last longer than expected
Though CAISO lifted the flex alert on August 10 (California ISO - Flex Alerts), the temperature decrease that was expected to come this week may not arrive as quickly as planned, which could mean further threats to the power grid. The Los Angeles Times reports that high temperatures will likely persist throughout the following week, with highs dropping by only a degree or two every day. These conditions could prompt another CAISO alert if energy demand remains as high as it has been.
“The cooling trend … is going to be slower to occur,” said meteorologist David Sweet from the National Weather Service (NWS) to the Times. “It’s not going to be very impressive for a few days.”
According to CAISO, California’s energy grid is capable of producing a maximum of 58,600 megawatts (MW) worth of power. Peak demand last Thursday when the group issued its alert was slightly above 47,000 MW, which is roughly 1,000 MW higher than what CAISO expected in its earlier forecasts. The all-time high for power usage at any given time in California was 50,270 MW on July 24, 2006, which was also during a severe heat wave.
Much of the western U.S. has been stricken with this excessive heat as a result of a large high pressure system centered around the Four Corners region where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah all touch one another.
Weather experts say this system will eventually move eastward, but it could be several days until California and other states feel any relief from it.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.reuters.com
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com
Stay up to date with the latest news:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/kr3at
Facebook: Alexander Higgins | Facebook
Live TV And Videos: Higgins TV
Website: The Alexander Higgins Blog
Headlines: Real-time News Headlines
Source: Reuters, LA Times – California Power Grid On The Brink Of Collapse ©
Copying or redistribution of this material requires that this license must remain intact with attribution to the content source.
Reuters, LA Times – California Power Grid On The Brink Of Collapse | Alternative
Related Posts
- 8 Million Lives Threatened By California San Onofre Reactor Problems
- California Slammed With Fukushima Radiation
- Fukushima Nuclear Fuel Leaking Into Groundwater, Tepco Says Barrier Too Expensive, Will Hurt Stock Price
- Tons Of Radioactive Fukushima Water Spills Into Pacific Ocean
- Radiation Levels in California Rain Recorded at 506% Above Normal
- Feds Hid Risk To Babies From Fukushima Nuclear Radiation Fallout
- Increasing Number Of Radioactive Fish, Including Alaskan Pollack, Exported From Japan
- Fukushima Nuclear Reactors In Nuclear Meltdown Once Again
Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)
Laura Loomer - Woke up this morning to a @nytimes article...
03-27-2024, 11:36 PM in General Discussion