There are a ton of problems with the aging energy grid. Extreme weather outages are more severe and take longer to repair. New AI and data mining are large draws on the energy (and water) supply. Rolling Blackouts and outages are starting to become a common problem in our lives.
At Solar Louisiana we believe our clients should have power when they need it. We aren't advocating for green energy for the utility companies.
Here are some links that outline the problems with the energy grid.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/17/why-americas-outdated-energy-grid-is-a-climate-problem.html You don't have to be worried about climate change to be alarmed at this articles stats on the electric grid.
Key Point from the article
Most of the U.S. electric grid was built in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, over 70% of the U.S. electricity grid is more than 25 years old, and that aging system is vulnerable to increasingly intense storms.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/how-does-us-power-grid-work#chapter-title-0-7 This is a link about the vulnerabilities in the grid.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/31/us/power-outages-electric-grid-climate-change/index.html When they say climate change they mean extreme weather events. And we know weather events in Louisiana. Here are the first two paragraphs:
As heat ramps up ahead of what forecasters say will be a hotter than normal summer, electricity experts and officials are warning that states may not have enough power to meet demand in the coming months. And many of the nation’s grid operators are also not taking climate change into account in their planning, even as extreme weather becomes more frequent and more severe.
All of this suggests that more power outages are on the way, not only this summer but in the coming years as well.
Key Points from the article:
Building transmission lines in the U.S. is like herding cats. All of the stakeholders in the construction of a new line — utility companies, regulators, landowners — have to come to an agreement, and they may have competing interests.
Ultimately, electricity customers pay for new transmission lines via a surcharge in their electric bill. The amount must be approved by regulators.
Delays in the transmission planning and construction process is currently a roadblock for deploying clean energy and the pace of construction has to more than double in order for the U.S. to meet its climate goals.
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