HEAT DEATHS AND OUR POWER GRID

The CDC is predicting that with hotter summers, the U. S. will face increased heat deaths due to brownouts and blackouts of our electric grids, especially in cities. The CDC defines “Extreme heat as a period of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90 degrees for at least two to three days.” Already a pretty low bar. The CDC’s first recommendation if you are under extreme heat is’ “Find air conditioning.”

Find air conditioning. Great advice if your power grid is still holding up. Like most of the world, neither our generation, nor our transmission of electricity has been keeping up with our demand for air conditioning. At the same time, continued use of gas and coal generation is counter productive. The inadequacy of our power grid also makes the transition to electric vehicles problematic, if not impossible.

Yes, as consumers we can conserve. We can and should support more sustainable energy production and transmission. Those of us with means should also be privately adding to the grid’s capacity.

The unpleasantness of the future has arrived. We need to continue to meet that challenge.

Vashti filling in for Ellyn..