2023-05-24 04:22:56
Two-thirds of North America might face power shortages this summer, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation warns in its latest report.
As temperatures rise this season, there will be periods of “extreme demand” on our energy resources, said NERC, a regulator that oversees the reliability of North America’s electrical infrastructure. The areas most at risk, according to NERC, include the West, Southwest, Central Continent, Texas, Southeast-Central, New England and Ontario (Canada).
This is happening because human-caused climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent and intense. The US is among the top three emitters of man-made greenhouse gas emissions in the world, most of which come from burning fossil fuels for energy.
Compared to last year’s report, there are no high-risk areas in this year’s assessment, due in part to greater use of renewable energy, including wind, solar and batteries, across the country. A rainier winter in the west also contributed to a lower overall risk than in 2022.
While there are no high-risk areas this time, the number of “higher risk” regions has increased in NERC’s annual summer assessment.
“Generator decommissioning continues to increase risks associated with extreme summer temperatures, leading to potential supply disruptions in the western two-thirds of North America as summer temperatures rise,” said Mark Olson, NERC manager of reliability assessments, in a statement.
According to NERC, increased risks in each region are due to:
- “Widespread heat events” that might lead to above-average demand and strain energy resources in the western US.
- Risk of high temperatures and drought in Texas, which “may result in emergency response, including the need for operator-controlled load shedding.”
- Lower capacity than last year in New England.
- Reduced capacity in Ontario due to ‘expanded nuclear modernization’.
- Lack of overcapacity in SPP and MISO areas, resulting in greater wind energy reliability.
- Expected higher demand and lower capacity in SERC Central.
If you live in a region that’s at risk of being powered by traditional electric utilities this summer, check out CNET’s list of the best solar batteries, best portable power stations, and best solar generators.
States affected by the increased risk warning
There is some overlap between energy companies, but here are the states and regions impacted by the heightened risk assessment:
- ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas): Texas.
- WECC (Western Electricity Coordinating Council) – CA/MX: Parts of California, Nevada and Baja California, Mexico.
- WECC-NW: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and parts of California, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota.
- WECC-SW: Arizona, New Mexico and parts of California and Texas.
- SERC (Southeastern Reliability Council) – Central: Tennessee plus parts of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri and Kentucky.
- SPP (Southwest Power Pool): All or portions of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.
- MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator): All or portions of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Manitoba, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.
- NPCC (Northeast Power Coordinating Council) – Neuengland: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island und Vermont.
- NPCC – Ontario: Ontario.
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