Heat waves are affecting the lives of tens of millions of North Americans and putting pressure on the region's power grid.
Heat waves across North America are driving up demand for electricity in homes and businesses. But supply is being constrained by the weather itself. Power officials have warned that parts of the country could face blackouts if the summer is hotter than usual.
"Two-thirds of North America will be at risk of power shortages this summer, during periods of peak demand," North American Electric Reliability (NERC) - the agency that monitors the stability of the North American power grid - said in its latest update report.
Nearly all of the region west of the Mississippi River could face power outages “due to extreme weather,” according to NERC. New England and Ontario are also at increased risk of power outages.
"This situation is due to many factors, including the scheduled shutdown of some power plants, the forecasted increase in peak demand and the difficulty of the grid operating stably during widespread heat," NERC said.
There are many factors that affect the availability of electricity. One is that as coal plants are phased out, the grid will increasingly rely on clean energy sources, such as solar and wind, to meet rising demand. However, weather conditions do not always allow for electricity production.
“Low wind and high demand can cause emergency power shortages,” analysts at the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a report on June 26. Wind power plays a key role in Texas as well as two other regions in the central US.
Dry weather and low water levels are also affecting hydropower here. In addition, NERC said new environmental regulations are tightening coal power in 23 states. This is the first summer the new policies will be implemented. Supply chain issues and labor shortages have also forced many power plants to cancel or postpone maintenance ahead of the summer.
Still, officials believe they can ensure power supplies if demand grows at a normal rate this year. The risk of blackouts only comes if the heat is extremely high.
Many Americans in the southern and central United States are facing severe heat. About 40 million people from Arizona to Alabama were under heat warnings on June 26.
In the deserts and Texas, temperatures are forecast to rise above 43 degrees Celsius. Some places could reach 49. Meteorologists say the heat could last into next week. Many parts of the US are forecast to have even higher than average temperatures over the next three months.
Ha Thu (according to CNN)
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