Tens of millions of Americans could be thrown into a summer of hell as a megadrought, heatwaves, and reduced power generation could trigger widespread rolling electricity blackouts from the Great Lakes to the West Coast, according to Bloomberg, citing a new report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a regulatory body that manages grid stability.
NERC warned power supplies in the Western US could be strained this summer as a historic drought reduces hydroelectric power generation due to falling reservoir levels and what’s expected to be an unseasonably hot summer. Compound the hellacious weather backdrop with grids decommissioning fossil fuel power plants to fight climate change and their inability to bring on new green power generation, such as solar, wind, and batteries, in time, is a perfect storm waiting to happen that will produce electricity deficits that may force power companies into rolling blackouts for stability purposes.
The regulatory body pointed out that supply-chain woes are delaying major Southwest solar projects, while some coal plants have trouble procuring supplies because of increased exports. They said there’s also an increasing threat of cyberattacks from Russia.
By region, the Midwest power grid will be extremely tight. Across the Western US, power generation capacity has declined 2.3% since last summer, even as demand is expected to increase. Grids in the region may have to source power from neighboring grids as extreme heat will cause people to crank up their air conditioners. A situation of low wind speeds could trigger blackouts, according to NERC. They outlined how the Midwest could face power shortfalls due to the removal of power capacity from retiring fossil fuel power plants.
NERC issued a similar warning last year, stating power grids that serve 40% of the US population were at risk of blackouts. One year later, there was only one notable blackout last June during a heatwave in the Pacific Northwest that left 9,000 customers without power. But with reduced electricity generation capacity outpacing new green power sources, the risks of blackouts are increasing this year.
In Texas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)has already warned multiple times of grid stress as early summer-like heatwaves sent temperatures in certain parts of the state into triple-digit territory.
California’s grid operators have also warned of rising blackout threats –for the next three summers — as the state transitions to greener forms of energy. The drought and shrinking reservoir levels have reduced hydroelectric power generation on top of decommissioned fossil fuel power plants. “We know that reliability is going to be difficult in this time of transition,” said Alice Reynolds, president of the California Public Utilities Commission, during a May 6 press conference.
NERC’s report is an eye-opener for those living in the Western US. Many households face out-of-control inflation, soaring fuel prices, and food shortages ahead of what could be a summer of unrest as the Biden administration is bracing for a wave of violence upon the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe V. Wade.
America is slipping into the abyss as households get a taste of what it’s like to live in Venezuela. It’s not that far off from what people are experiencing today: soaring inflation, shortages, a ruling regime which so many claim was not elected by the majority and soon, rolling blackouts.
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Opportunity here.
When the lights go out BLM will stand out, doing urban renewal.
Thinking of moving to the city, right after I get that lobotomy.
I know Zerohedge tends to stretch things sometimes, but perhaps this is just what we need. Food shortages, gas shortages, out of control inflation, rising crime rates, and now power outages in the sweltering heat….all good combinations for some serious civil unrest. Bring it on!!
This all depends on the level of civil unrest. The hardships being perpetrated by what appear to be idiotic governmental policy, are in fact a well thought out plan. We have seen the beginning of that plan played out in healthcare.
The first part of the plan was to make private healthcare un-affordable by driving healthcare costs to stupidly expensive levels.
The second part was to make healthcare a government subsidy by passing Obamacare, and the third was to use the threat of the loss of that subsidy, along with employment, education, travel, and other rights to control the masses.
The forth phase of the plan is to drive inflation on everyday necessities like housing, food, and energy to the point where these items are un-affordable. The government will then offer subsidies for these necessities based on a QR code issued to every citizen that will track your usage and habits. Once this is accomplished, subsidies can be given or denied based on your compliance with government mandates, or social scores.
The success of this plan to implement control over the masses is going to be completely dependent upon peoples cooperation with the plan. In order to curtail this plan, several things need to happen. First, people must be made aware of what this agenda is. Second they must be willing to sacrifice in order to stop it.
That sacrifice will consist of the rejection of many of the comforts we have been conditioned to believe are what add value to our lives. It will include rejecting much of what we call modern technology.
Rejecting government subsidies. Adopting an adversarial position against government and corporations. Rejecting corporate owned media. Eliminating government education. Forming alternative means of healthcare, education, media, food, and energy production, and the co-ops to distribute these products.
The only thing that can stop the authoritarian path we are now on is to decentralize our lives to the greatest degree possible and in the process take away the power the authoritarians have over us.
After decades of living there, from my bird’s eye view a few years ago I knew that the sudden series of SF Bay area totally unnecessary extended pre-emptive blackouts and mandatory evacuations for all the exaggerated wind and heat predictions were practice runs.
There were squad cars and officers at 100’s of streets blocking you from all but their choice of routes to main arteries so they could practice funnelling you as they wanted. One time they even went to 100,000’s of houses to practice manually turning off the gas – then after days of evacuation you had to wait longer for your turn to have it manually turned back on. I knew it was all gestapo herding practice and obedience study. Looks like this summer’s pre-emptive shut offs or faked blackouts to come are Phase 2.
Didn’t check available stock, expensive. Was going to make one, but the rental of a substantially sized Dewar flask full of liquid nitrogen for the initial freeze, making a ‘cold trap’, converting/plumbing a home upright freezer, time/materials, cost prohibitive. Great if You are billing that way though, lol. Still, was going to attempt the basic construction on the unit this winter…Only To discover that my vacuum pump (last used probably 20 yrs. ago) was shot. Always changed the oil, But ran out of r-11 to purge. Too many burnt out compressor reclaims i suppose. Probably at least $800 plus for a suitable c.f.m. pump with a high duty cycle, maybe substantially more.
Might have to ‘Yes Dear’ at some point to buy one. Been encouraging her to get a second job for some time…
So, drying, canning, pickling it is.
A discussion of dropping reservoir levels and hydroelectric power generation….
“We know that reliability is going to be difficult in this time of transition” …
… to non-availability.
that is, non-availability to YOU. the ones behind all this will have all they want.
“Blackouts” …. huh! …. seems like a very racist term to describe No Fucken Electricity
All the good parts look like they’ll be fine.
More Nuclear Plants, Water Ways, Reservoirs, Dams, Coal Gasification Plants, Natural Gas Plants, Drilling, Mining, Refineries- FIFY – your welcome.
If I owned a utility plant of any kind, gas, power or water and the government wouldn’t let me build more utilities, I wouldn’t argue to much. Supply and Demand is good for my bottom line. If I supply to much I would have to lower my price per unit. I can increase my price per unit if I produce less or just enough. Seems like simple economics.
Lake Powel and Lake Mead have not had a water way upgrades in 70 years. The population has exploded since the design of the lakes and dams. Our father, grand fathers, great grand fathers would have said ” Need water? no problem, we will build a 400 mile canal that moves water to and from different resources through out the infrastructure(California Aqueduct)( no upgrade in 60 years). Today we worry about an invasive fish swimming the water way that indecently runs out to the sea. Last I checked over 80% of California fresh water runs to the sea
They’re trying to raise the ocean level because global warming ain’t getting the job done.
Haven’t y’all learnt how to live without electricity yet?