The geographic variability of the grid can improve resilience, but only if power can be quickly and easily moved from one region to another. Generation from renewable resources is subject to sudden and frequent change. Solar power can only be generated when and where the sun is up, and wind turbines can only turn when the wind is blowing. The rapid addition of intermittent sources of variable generation has further complicated an already constrained transmission grid. The limitations of policy authority at the federal level, lack of political will, and state and local obstacles have conspired to impede construction of new transmission lines. Meyer (2021) also highlighted the importance of transmission capacity for the reliability and resilience of the grid. It is also the grid’s major weakness (2020, p. This is a consequence of the historical development of vertical monopolies and the regulatory policies of Congress. Ted Lewis acknowledged this in his book Critical Infrastructure Protection in Homeland Security: Defending a Networked Nation (3 rd Ed.): “The North American Electric Grid has sufficient power, but it lacks the transmission and distribution capacity needed to meet surge demand. The seams issue is exacerbated by a longstanding general shortage of transmission capacity to move power to where it is needed. Because of this limitation, many regional outages caused by winter storms, summer heat waves, or other disruptions cannot be easily mitigated by bringing large amounts of electric power in from other areas of the country. The Eastern and Western grids can generate approximately 950,000 megawatts of cumulative electric power, but can only share about 1,300 megawatts, using high-voltage direct current (HVDC) ties at certain locations along the seams. The borders that separate these grids are often referred to as “seams.” This fragmentation can pose a serious vulnerability during times of crisis. North America is currently fragmented into four separate, synchronous grids known as the Eastern, Western, Texas, and Quebec interconnections. What we have come to describe as the national power grid evolved out of a patchwork of different systems and infrastructure knitted together over the past 140 years. electric power grid as a nationwide, singular, and synchronous network, the surprise is that the grid is fragmented. The creation of a truly unified electric power grid will provide greater assurance that this critical resource will be available where and when it is needed.įor those people who think of the U.S. All the other critical infrastructure sectors and subsectors, including water, natural gas, fuel oil, chemical, transportation, public health, government, and defense, are dependent upon electricity to function effectively (Knake, 2017). Even necessities such as water, food, and heat are adequately supplied only when the power flows. This includes technology, communication, banking, commerce, and nearly every other component of our economy (Bakke, 2016). Much of modern life is directly connected to the need for electric power. Widespread blackouts could likely lead to loss of life, serious injury, civil disorder, and significant economic loss. The Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress referred to the power grid as the “vital cornerstone of modern American society” (2014, p. Nowhere is this issue more compelling than the electric power grid.

It is around 8 pounds, not 7 pounds.įollow Wayne Parry on Twitter at security is one of the central national security issues facing the United States and will be the pivotal challenge for the next decade and beyond. This story has been updated to correct the weight of a gallon of water.

Putting solar panels atop plastic floats that are moored to the bottom of the reservoir helps reduce evaporation of water into the air, and the temperature of the water helps cool the solar panels, enabling them to work more efficiently, officials said. Shawn LaTourette, New Jersey’s environmental protection commissioner, said the project enables the companies “to chip away at the rather considerable energy use of our water systems.”īecause salt water corrodes the equipment, floating solar arrays are generally placed on man-made bodies of fresh water such as reservoirs or holding basins for water treatment plants. The Sayreville solar array, which is about half the size of the one in Millburn, cost $7.2 million to build, according to RETTEW, the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based company that built it. Neither company would say how much it cost to build the New Jersey solar facility, although Robert Pohlman, vice president of NJR Clean Energy Ventures, said, “It’s a project that makes a lot of sense for both organizations.”

North american electrical grid