U.S. Power Grid Teases Massive Summer Outage？

In recent years, global warming has led to extreme weather, and last year's big cold snap in the United States hit the headlines in many countries. Of course, this also has to be "thanks" to the poor handling of the local power grid. There is no doubt that a power outage in extreme weather is a nightmare, although it may be a small probability. The effects of warming are becoming apparent, and this summer may prove it.

  

Grid regulator issues summer assessment

(announcement of NERC)

The U.S. grid regulator, NERC, has released its 2022 Summer Electric Reliability Assessment, which shows that the extreme weather and the ongoing drought caused by high temperatures have increased electricity demand across much of the U.S. this summer and will likely cause the region's grid to collapse, which in turn will cause widespread power shortages and Power outages, with Texas, the West Coast and the Southwest at higher risk.


A major drought is coming

 

Severe drought in the Lake Mead region of Nevada, USA (file photo)

This summer, the global temperature is much higher than in the past, India early into the hot period is a typical example. Although it may feel quite the opposite in other regions.

On May 19, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Center said U.S. states will face higher-than-average temperatures this summer than in previous years. Because the local power grid is very vulnerable, when the power supply is insufficient to meet the demand for electricity, mandatory power restrictions will be taken for the need to protect the grid. This was mishandled last winter, leading to a major blackout of millions of homes in Texas to prevent a complete collapse of the grid after a super cold snap. More than 200 people lost their lives during the cold snap.


Old and homogeneous, lack of emergency response capabilities.

 

Wall Street Journal Article

 

Last year's outages in Texas were caused by poor maintenance of equipment and a single energy source. The Wall Street Journal has commented that "Texas' over-reliance on wind power makes the grid more vulnerable in bad weather." In fact, this is true, in hot weather, the shortcomings of hydroelectricity and wind power will be exceptionally magnified, which for the previous reliance on water and wind to generate electricity in the region, the grid will be extremely vulnerable.


The reason for this is that high temperatures can cause reservoir levels to drop, as well as lower wind speeds (the atmospheric cycle is essentially a thermal cycle, requiring cold air to produce wind.) . There will be a significant reduction in electricity generation, which combined with the surge in electricity consumption during extreme weather will have a serious impact on the grid. Emergency measures need to be prepared in advance.

 

 Energy integration and diversification


On the other hand, in addition to the generation environment, human factors such as the current supply chain and network security can also affect the reliability of the grid in summer. When the power supply is insufficient to meet the demand for electricity, mandatory power restrictions will be imposed for the purpose of protecting the grid. This will most likely lead to a repeat of last winter's nightmare this summer.

Source: US Department of energy

 

To ensure grid stability, this year the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) underwent an organizational restructuring through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Energy Act of 2020. This is to drive a new energy mix. To introduce more clean energy, improve our ability to address the climate crisis. And it sets a strategy to achieve a goal of carbon-free electricity by 2035 and zero carbon emissions by 2050. This is the beginning of U.S. energy consolidation and diversification.
 

One more choice, one more insurance


From the current point of view, renewable energy sources all have their own advantages and disadvantages in terms of reliability. Therefore, the best option at this time is to have a balanced use of multiple energy sources to reduce risk. At the same time, a good power storage system should be established for emergency use. The use of solar energy is currently more widespread than other renewable energy sources. With energy storage systems, higher reliability can also be obtained for emergencies when power cannot be generated.


As a professional photovoltaic manufacturer, SUNPROPOWER recommends the use of intelligent energy storage systems, such as this SP12KH3, with a maximum input power of 15.6KW. MPPT range of 120V-850V. maximum output power of 13.2KV. strong compatibility with a wide range of material batteries. Strong safety protection, equipped with anti-reverse current function and reverse connection protection of battery. Easy to operate, with built-in intelligent energy management system for power dispatch and distributed virtual power plant management.





Stylish appearance and light weight. Touch screen intelligent operation. Low noise operation. IP65 dustproof and waterproof. Wall-mounted design, space-saving. Cloud monitoring, you can use cell phone or PC can grasp the status of the power grid. It is still very effective as a means to monitor the power grid in power stations. Commercial power grids can also monitor power distribution projects when setting up public power facilities as well as stores to quickly troubleshoot and reduce user losses. In addition, according to user needs, it can also be equipped with an integrated 5/10kw capacity lithium iron phosphate battery for energy storage. It can be used as a backup power source in case of large-scale power outage or power limitation.



Extreme weather is frequent and human demand for electricity is increasing. Renewable energy sources currently have more room for improvement. It is certainly a smart decision to have one more option. Storage is one of the good qualities of human survival, and it can also cope with the possible coming power outage crisis with ease.


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