Last Tuesday’s series of bizarre events surrounding technology that caused major consequences like a suspension of trading on The New York Stock Exchange and United Airlines to temporarily ground its flights—both due to mysterious computer system glitches—has people on edge over issues of cybersecurity and digital information. Perhaps the most concerning issue of all, though it remains somewhat overshadowed, was highlighted by the loss of power that affected over 8,000 people in Washington, DC.
While the cause of the massive blackout is still under investigation, government buildings like the White House, Justice and State Departments, and the Capitol, as well as prominent locations like the Smithsonian and the University of Maryland were mysteriously left in the dark, causing evacuations of several of the Smithsonian museums—including the Air and Space Museum—and a suspension of classes for the day. Those in transit were also affected by the blackout resulting from a reported equipment failure at a transfer station in Southern Maryland, with streetlights out of order and 13 Metro stations having to resort to backup power.
The ability of a faulty conductor based in Maryland to cut off power to a majority of our nation’s capital, as well as its surrounding suburbs, is just the latest indication that our aging power grid will soon be unable to keep up with our modern electrical demands. Not only do we face increasingly frequent and severe weather-related incidents, but a growing population and aging infrastructure that are causing even more blackouts than ever before.Aging Technology
Today, America’s electrical grid can be described as a patchwork of outdated technology. Inspired by designs created by Thomas Edison in the late 1800s, a majority of the backbone of our power grid as we know it today was created after World War II using technology popular in the ‘50s and ‘60s. This means that nearly 70 percent of the transformers and transmission lines are a minimum of 25 years old and 60 percent of the circuit breakers are at least 30 years old.[1] In The American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, our power grid was given a “mostly below standard, with a large portion of the system exhibiting significant deterioration with a strong risk of failure” rating. Our reliance on this aging electrical grid that was originally built to service a much smaller population has become a growing concern for experts who are calling for a transformation of our electrical grid. Since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, more than $8 billion dollars has been invested in the modernization of the power grid to enhance reliability, resiliency and delivery.
America’s electrical grid is made up of roughly 7,000 power plants, connected by more than 5 million miles of power lines, overseen by 3,300 utilities that service more than 150 million customers nationwide.[2] Experts in the electrical sector are pushing for a more decentralized system that allows for a better containment of the impact of any issues that may arise so that the affected part of the grid doesn’t wipe out power to the others. An upgrade to incorporate smart grid technologies is also recommended to help monitor electric demand fluctuations, take advantage of real-time data with the help of smart meters and use synchrophaser technology to actively monitor the health of the grid.
The evolution from our aging electrical infrastructure to a smart grid could cost up to $476 billion, but experts estimate that it could also end up saving roughly $49 billion a year due to the reduced number of power outages, as well as lower carbon emissions by up to18 percent by 2030.[3] While the modernization of America’s electrical grid has already begun, it will be a continuous process that takes many years and requires cooperation from every state.New Alternative Energy Sources
In addition to upgrading the outdated technologies that make up America’s energy infrastructure, new energy options are available that now need to be integrated into the system as well. Renewable energy sources like solar and wind power weren’t even a possibility during the grid’s development, but have now become a necessity as the availability of energy provided by electricity, oil and natural gases becomes less and less due to our growing population. Optimizing our power grid by finding a way to incorporate both conventional fuels and alternative energy sources can slow down the drain on our natural resources and allow homeowners that utilize solar panels to control their energy usage while selling unused power to the grid.We Demand More Energy
Census data from the 1950s, when development on our electrical grid’s backbone first started, puts the United States population at approximately 151,325,798 people. Today, that number has more than doubled to 308,745,538 people living across the United States. In addition to a growing population, our demand for electricity has skyrocketed, increasing 10 percent over the past ten years. This increase in demand occurred in spite of the existence of more energy-efficient products than ever before. This level of demand is being placed on an infrastructure that was originally designed to serve half as many people as there are today and without consideration for modern technologies like cell phones and tablets.
Weather
Climate change and the resulting increase in the occurrence of severe weather-related events puts additional stress on America’s aging electrical grid. As summers grow hotter and hotter still, our reliance on and demand for air conditioning grows, requiring further investment in technologies that account for seasonal fluctuations in demand. While in the past weather used to be responsible for roughly 17 to 21 percent of all major power outages, today they account for 68 to 73 percent.[3] A more resilient electrical grid is required in order to efficiently handle and recover from major weather events like Superstorm Sandy, the hurricane that left over 8 million people across 17 states in the dark, many for over a week.
We can all take a page from the White House’s book, which was only momentarily affected by the widespread power outage. Having a back-up generator allowed the White House to regain power within seconds and continue on with performing their essential functions. Having a standby generator not only automatically provides you with access to backup power when you need it most, but also gives you the peace of mind that your home or business can continue to run normally no matter what.
Don’t get left in the dark like Oprah Winfrey during her speech at the Warner Theatre for the Maya Angelou stamp event. Call Assurance Power Systems to talk with one of our trained representatives and start your journey towards uninterrupted power today!
1. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/09/us-usa-grid-blackout-idUSKBN0N02HB201504092. http://www.ibtimes.com/aging-us-power-grid-blacks-out-more-any-other-developed-nation-16310863. http://massoud-amin.umn.edu/publications/Turning_the_Tide_on_Outages_MA_Draft_07-18-2011.pdf
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