An untimely snap of extreme weather next summer could lead to serious problems in the Texas energy market, the state’s grid operator says. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the wholesale market in the state, cautioned that power reserves used to avoid rotating blackouts will be at a dangerously low level by summer. Continue reading →
blackouts
Will the lights stay on in 2012? Texas electricity experts cannot say for certain. The state’s electric grid operators are coming off a tumultuous year, one they are not eager to repeat. In February, a deep freeze knocked numerous power plants out of commission as equipment broke, causing rolling blackouts across the state. Then the Continue reading →
Will the lights stay on in 2012? Texas electricity experts cannot say for certain. The state’s electric grid operators are coming off of a tumultuous year, one they are not eager to repeat. In February, a deep freeze knocked numerous power plants out of commission as equipment broke, causing rolling blackouts across the state. Then, Continue reading →
Most anyone who experienced any of the numerous, widespread power outages this summer would agree that the system that delivers electricity throughout northern Illinois is in need of a significant upgrade. My Crystal Lake neighborhood alone experienced outages on three different occasions. After one of them – the July 11 derecho that left nearly a million Continue reading →
Experts say the cascading blackout that put millions of Westerners in the dark last week was no surprise: Major power outages have more than doubled in the last decade. “This is just evidence that we need a smarter, better, more secure system,” said Massoud Amin, director of the Technological Leadership Institute at the University of Continue reading →
With record-setting heat roiling the U.S. this summer, air conditioners are working overtime to keep everyone cool. That spike in electricity demand can overwhelm “the grid:” the wires, transformers, meters, power plants and everything in between. But thanks to ongoing innovations in wireless communications and power systems structure, the grid is getting better at handling Continue reading →
With millions of smart grid devices being added to the country’s electrical network, one thing that utilities need is a reliable grid. Failing electrical equipment and smart grid functionality shutting down on the feeder isn’t something that should happen. Recent economic studies estimate the cost of unplanned downtime due to electric power failure to the Continue reading →
The U.S. electrical grid has been plagued by ever more and ever worse blackouts over the past 15 years. In an average year, outages total 92 minutes per year in the Midwest and 214 minutes in the Northeast. Japan, by contrast, averages only 4 minutes of interrupted service each year. via U.S. Electrical Grid Gets Continue reading →
Research at North Carolina State University seeks to improve monitoring and control of large-scale blackouts, scientists said. The research led to the development of an approach that uses high-resolution power-system measurements, or synchrophasors, to develop reliable models of large power systems, allowing operators to monitor their health, the university said Wednesday in a release. via Continue reading →
Research at North Carolina State University seeks to improve monitoring and control of large-scale blackouts, scientists said. The research led to the development of an approach that uses high-resolution power-system measurements, or synchrophasors, to develop reliable models of large power systems, allowing operators to monitor their health, the university said Wednesday in a release. via Continue reading →
With this summer’s lengthy heat waves and record demand for electricity, the need to prevent widespread blackouts is again throwing conservation — and the aging electrical grid — onto center stage. GE’s Bob Gilligan just wrote a piece for Bloomberg Businessweek in which he explains that firing up expensive “peaker plants” to add extra power Continue reading →
A storm blows a tree down on a power line, and a flag pinpointing the exact spot on a map pops up on a utility’s computer screen. A water heater needs a part or to be replaced, so it sends a notice to the homeowner’s personalized iGoogle page. Sound like something straight out of “The Continue reading →
“Smart Grid” is the name for a vision of what the electrical power grid should look like, where the grid itself uses modern networking technology to allow different parts of the grid to communicate. By using the technology, theoretically we could reduce our chances of having a blackout, because we’d be managing our energy use Continue reading →
The recent outages that affected Pepco customers throughout the Washington metropolitan area made clear the profound dilemma all of us face as we increase our dependence on electricity to power large appliances, hand-held devices and information technology. We live in an age when demand is escalating. Our electric delivery system must meet that demand. Despite Continue reading →
An old Cleantechnica writer (actually, our previous editor), Ariel Schwartz, wrote a great article this week on how a nascent smart grid helped to prevent brownouts and blackouts in New York during a record-breaking heat wave earlier this month. Although our nation’s electricity grid has a ways to go before we can really call it Continue reading →
The words “self healing grid” are an instant lure, but grid experts would be happier if we stopped throwing the term around. What actually happens is lighter on the magic, heavier on the helpful. via Self Healing Grid More Like A Splint : Discovery News.
NanoMarkets, a Virginia-based industry analyst firm, claims that new smart grid infrastructure projects will generate significant new opportunities for sensor manufacturers. According to the report, “Sensors for the Smart Grid: Market Opportunities 2010-2017,” building the new smart grid infrastructure will generate $11.4 billion revenue for sensors and related products. via Smart Grid.
The ultimate smart city, then, will allow utility companies–like Xcel Energy ( XEL – news – people ) in Boulder–to better manage power, to automatically prevent and repair service outages. Imagine a summer without blackouts, or a winter when downed power lines can be repaired in half the time. No more calling 611 to report Continue reading →
The recent Rochester City Council authorization of repairs to a generator in the RPU fleet is obviously necessary, but it points out the major problem that the electric infrastructure in this county faces. It is using technology that would have been recognized by Thomas Edison. The current grid is not a system but simply a Continue reading →
California’s push to lead U.S. sales of electric cars may result in higher power rates for consumers in the state, as a growing number of rechargeable vehicles forces utilities to pay for grid upgrades. The autos’ effect on electricity fees is being reviewed by California’s Public Utilities Commission this month as the most populous U.S. Continue reading →
