Consumer demand for electricity increases in the summer as more people rely on the use of air conditioning units to combat the heat. This is expected to put a strain on the power grid, with experts warning that the lights could soon go out.
Warnings of rolling blackouts had been issued since the beginning of the year, as utility companies brace for the impact of a surge in demand. This could leave millions without electricity in the middle of summer.
A report from Refinitiv Data stated that federal agencies responsible for power reliability – such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission – have warned that grids in the western half of the U.S. could face reliability issues in the summer. (Related: 12 Things you need to survive a power grid collapse.)
The Midwest is said to be particularly vulnerable, even though it has been immune to rolling blackouts for decades. Utility companies in Illinois have warned of controlled outages that could occur, with one already sending letters to customers regarding potential power cuts.
SouthEastern Illinois Electrical Cooperative (SEIEC) stated in a letter that "a recent generation capacity auction has revealed that the Midwest could fall short of needed generation capacity to serve the summer peak load under certain conditions." It warned that SEIEC "would be directed to disconnect a portion of the load in order to prevent an electric grid failure" if demand outpaces supply.
Meanwhile, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said it is already asking customers to cut back on their energy use and turn up the temperatures on their air conditioning units. Its calls followed the shut down of six power plants in the Lone Star State in May, during what was allegedly a heat wave. ERCOT had previously been in the news back in early 2021 due to its mismanagement of the infamous Texas blackouts.
Supply chain snags, pivot to green energy leave the U.S. vulnerable to blackouts
As energy equipment break down over the summer, power companies say they may not have the spare parts or resources to fix the problems fast enough to keep the power on due to supply chain issues.
Ralph Izzo, the head of New Jersey-based Public Service Enterprise Group, said energy utilities have to be frugal with their replacement parts to avoid running out in case of weather emergencies or high heat.
"You don't want to deplete your inventory because you don't know when that storm is coming, but you know it's coming," he said. "If we have successive days of 100-degree heat, those pole-top transformers … start popping like Rice Krispies and we would not have the supply stack to replace them."
American Electric Power (AEP) CEO Nick Akins, meanwhile, confirmed that other operators such as his company have been changing their maintenance habits. He said AEP had been doing a lot more fixing (such as splicing and putting cables together) instead of simply laying new ones, so that they can save the new cable for inventory when they are needed.
Aside from these, the forced transition to "green" energy is also contributing to the inability of the grids to handle the load whenever there is a bit of heat or rain. Many states have moved to take plants powered by coal and natural gas offline in favor of renewable energy sources, which do not have the capacity to keep up with the summer heat.
Moreover, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power also have issues beyond human control. Some areas do not have enough wind or sunshine to continuously produce power. While there are technologies to help store excess energy for later use, they are currently expensive and are not yet fully developed.
Watch the video below for more information about the expected summer blackouts.
This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.
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