{"id":290878,"date":"2023-12-11T11:13:15","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T10:13:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=290878"},"modified":"2023-12-11T11:13:18","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T10:13:18","slug":"u-s-power-grid-at-risk-for-outages-this-winter-says-nerc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=290878","title":{"rendered":"U.S. power grid at risk for outages this winter, says NERC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Federal policies are destroying the grid<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Substack<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By ED IRELAND<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recently released North American Electric Reliability Corporation\u2019s annual assessment of the U.S. electricity grid was ominous: \u201cA large portion of the North American BPS (<\/strong>bulk power system, referring to power generation only) is at risk of insufficient electricity supplies during peak winter conditions<\/strong>.\u201d (emphasis added throughout)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NERC\u2019s annual report, the Winter Reliability Assessment<\/a> for the upcoming winter period (December 2023\u2013February 2024), designated almost half the U.S. as having an \u201celevated risk\u201d of insufficient operating reserves of power generation during extreme weather. Operating reserves are electricity supplies that are not being used but can quickly come online in the case of an unplanned event such as an equipment malfunction or fuel supply disruption. NERC also said that the risk of electricity shortages is even greater this year than last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why has the U.S. electric grid, the world\u2019s most technologically advanced nation, become so vulnerable to failure? NERC answers that question in the second paragraph of the press release: the increased use of heat pumps and electric heaters and the growth of intermittent electricity resources, like solar generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the direct quotes from the \u201cAnnouncement<\/a>:\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As electric heat pumps and heating systems become more prevalent, their combined effect on system demand is even more pronounced, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The growth of intermittent resources, like solar generation, on the distribution system significantly increases load forecasting complexity and uncertainty.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In other words, the \u201celectrify everything\u201d movement, including the war on natural gas<\/a>, plus the over-building of wind turbines and solar panels due to massive federal subsidies, is destroying America\u2019s power grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next question is, why is this happening? The answer is simple: misguided federal energy policies. The U.S. power grid has been compromised by national governmental policies that \u201cnudge\u201d and mandate behavior through federal subsidies and regulations. These federal actions are destroying the integrity and ability of the U.S. power grid to perform reliably as it has for the last 150 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the demand side, NERC sees the federal government policies to electrify everything as problematic, resulting in electricity demand faster than the infrastructure can be built to provide it. Changes are needed in national policies that will increase electricity demand faster than the power grid can handle it, including policies that encourage car buyers to buy electric vehicles, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n