Katherine Blunt and Jennifer Hiller of The Wall Street Journal report that the grid has avoided rolling blackouts so far this summer. Regions that added renewables and batteries quickly have fared better. They write:
Extreme heat shattered temperature records and pushed electricity demand to new highs this summer. The U.S. power grid has held up, but in many places the margin for error is shrinking.
Across the U.S., a combination of new power sources and luck has helped grid operators avoid calling for rolling blackouts. States such as California and Texas that in recent years have bet big on renewable energy and battery storage easily met electricity demand, even as residents cranked their air conditioning to stay cool during punishing heat waves.
Elsewhere, swaths of the country are more vulnerable. Grid operators nationwide are warning that the next few years will be difficult. […]
“We’re talking probably at least over the next five years that we’re going to continue to experience these challenges,” Nickell said. “It takes years to build transmission, and it’s taking even longer now to build generation.”
Read more here.
Also, read U.S. Electrical Grid: Is America Being Set Up for Failure?
