Two-thirds of Americans could suffer from blackouts this summer as extreme heat challenges the under-powered U.S. electrical grid. Ever since shutting down coal powered generating capacity to replace it with solar panels and windmills, the reliability of the grid has deteriorated and the number of rolling blackouts and failures has increased.
In Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, high temperatures have been stressing systems. Some 40 million people are expected to be hit by the heat wave between now and Independence Day. We live in an area that has had cool temperatures and plenty of rain, but because the grid is interconnected, demand in a big East Coast city hours away could potentially threaten our power supply. It might also drive up prices and utilities bid against each other to by what limited power is available.
Make sure your generator is ready to go and have plenty of fuel. If you don’t need it during a heat-related outage, you might need it after a hurricane.
Published 6/26/2023. Read full article.
