2023-06-29 00:05:00
Original title: Extreme weather continues to have a huge impact on the US aviation industry and power system
Affected by extreme weather such as thunderstorms, on June 27 local time, more than 9,000 flights within the United States and in and out of the United States were delayed or canceled, and passenger travel was greatly affected.
According to data from the US flight tracking website, on the 27th, more than 2,100 flights within the United States and in and out of the United States were cancelled, and more than 7,300 flights were delayed. According to the announcement issued by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States, on that day, the average delay of flights departing from LaGuardia Airport in New York City was more than two hours, and the average delay of inbound flights was more than four hours.
Luggage piled up next to the conveyor belt, and the passengers stranded at the airport were exhausted, but more helpless.
Stranded Passengers:It didn’t rain at my house, nor at the airport. I don’t know why the plane mightn’t take off.
Stranded Passengers:The staff notified us that the flight has been showing delays, and now it has been cancelled.
Severe weather has hit many parts of the United States this week. On the 26th, New York State Governor Hochul warned that severe weather is expected throughout New York State this week, including continuous rainfall and thunderstorms, and may cause flash floods. Later on the 27th, the National Weather Service issued a warning that parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware will usher in showers and moderate to severe thunderstorms, with more than 40 million people expected Affected, at the same time may lead to more flight delays or cancellations.
High temperatures continue to stress U.S. power system
In addition to thunderstorms, the United States has also been hit by continuous high temperatures recently. According to US media reports, this year’s high temperature weather is likely to cause the collapse of the US power grid, which will have disastrous consequences.
Recently, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation released a report showing that the hotter the weather, the higher the possibility of problems in the US power grid. The report pointed out that the high power demand brought regarding by the extremely hot weather may cause power outages in two-thirds of the United States.
North American Electric Reliability Corporation President and CEO Jim Robb:The risk of energy shortages is growing and spreading to more parts of the country. Especially in the past five years, we have experienced a variety of extreme weather, large-scale heat events affecting the western United States, and large-scale severe cold events affecting the eastern and southeastern United States.
Analysts warn of death toll from grid failure
US media said that with the frequent occurrence of extreme weather and the slow development of US energy infrastructure, the already overwhelmed US power grid may be brought to the brink of collapse. Analysts have warned that a breakdown in the power grid might kill people.
Susan Joy Hassall, Head of Climate Communications:In Texas, we’ve seen disasters when the power grid goes down, and if it happens in hot weather like this, it can kill people.
In February 2021, Texas encountered rare low temperature and blizzard weather, resulting in large-scale power outages that lasted for several days. The severe cold and power outages eventually killed 246 people.
Aging, Lack of Regulation, America’s Electric Grid Is Fragile
According to statistics, from 2000 to 2019, the number of grid failure accidents caused by extreme weather in the United States increased by 67%. Why is America’s power grid so vulnerable?
First of all, the electrical facilities are old. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 70 percent of the nation’s transmission lines and transformers are more than 25 years old.
North American Electric Reliability Corporation President and CEO Jim Robb:Many of the power plants we rely on today were built in the 1970s like a vintage car, but this is the age of Tesla.
Alison Silverstein, independent advisor to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy:We build electricity for milder weather conditions without thinking regarding how to adapt the grid to accommodate the changes, and our ability to adapt the grid cannot keep up with the rate of change.
At the same time, there is another reason why the US power system is so fragile, and that is corporate greed and the absence of supervision. In order to pursue profits, private power companies are unwilling to invest in the improvement and upgrading of power facilities, and regulators are also letting it go, which makes it difficult to promote power transformation and new construction.
Ali Pesco, director of the Electricity Law Initiative at the Environmental and Energy Law Program at Harvard Law School:Congress hasn’t done much, especially when it comes to regulation. Congress allocates small amounts of money for some projects, but does not regulate the industry as a whole.
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