Category Archives: Electric Grid

Utility Dive reports that as states relax COVID-19 limits and temperatures warm, grid operators are now seeing electricity demand rise after a significant drop this spring, leading to concerns about their ability to keep the lights on — and how outages could impact vulnerable populations.

Inside Sources reports on the importance of grid operators taking measures to ensure reliability of the electric grid.

Wired reports that utilities and grid operators are well-prepared to handle the pandemic, but a second wave of the virus later this year could be disastrous.

The Daily Energy Insider carries an article on the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) fifth grid security exercise known as GridEx on Nov. 13 and 14, an event that allows utilities to test how they would respond to and recover from simulated coordinated cyber and physical threats to the electric grid.

The article mentions my recent op-ed on the threats to the U.S. power grid.

GridEx is a very important exercise for utilities, and goes a long way toward providing protection to the grid.

Thanks to the Casper Star Tribune (WY), Johnstown Tribune Democrat (PA), and Rockland County Times (NY), for carrying my op-ed stressing that the U.S. needs a balanced mix of fuel sources to safeguard the power grid against cyber attacks and other threats.

Thanks to the Towanda Daily Review (PA) and Detroit News (MI) for carrying my op-ed on the need for the  U.S. to retain diversified power generation to guard against cyber intrusions and secure grid reliability.

Thanks to the Memphis Commercial Appeal (TN) for carrying my new op-ed where I discuss that the United States is slowly dismantling  its baseload power plants and replacing them with less reliable alternatives, causing electricity price spikes and creating outage issues.

Thanks to the Harrisburg Patriot News (PA), the Somerset Daily American (PA) and the Gillette News Record (WY) for carrying my op-ed on the recent troubles with the electric grid in Texas.

Thanks to the Northwest Indiana Times (IN) for carrying my op-ed on what Texas is learning from the consequences of switching from baseload to intermittent energy sources, which is driving up electricity prices and drastically affecting reliability.

Thanks to the Farmington Daily Times (NM) and Weber Sentinel News (UT) for carrying my op-ed about what Texas is learning from the consequences of switching from baseload to intermittent energy sources, which is driving up electricity prices and drastically affecting reliability.

Thanks to the Pennsylvania newspapers Mainline Media News, Pottstown Mercury, and Exton Daily Local for publishing my new op-ed in which I describe that Texas’ growing reliance on wind power is increasing the risk of blackouts, even as traditional sources of energy such as coal and nuclear are prematurely retired.

News that we missed this morning…

• Utility Dive reports that coal and nuclear could receive a boost in New England this Winter as a new Tariff goes into effect. The region’s grid operator, ISO-New England, received approval from FERC to implement  the Tariff, which will compensate power plants such as nuclear, coal-fired and oil-fired generation, that have on-site fuel storage. ISO-New England told FERC that the Tariff was needed to provide resiliency to the electric grid.

Thanks to the Duluth News Tribune (MN) for carrying my new op-ed on the reliability challenges to the electric grid posed by the increased use of natural gas and renewables, and the need to maintain coal and nuclear energy to maintain that reliability.

Thanks to Johnstown, PA’s The Tribune-Democrat for carrying my new op-ed discussing how states are straining their power grids to the limit by closing down coal-fired power plants, especially during peak usage periods like the summer.

Thanks to the The Southern Illinoisan for publishing my new op-ed on the challenges of delivering reliable power during times of peak usage in the Summer. These challenges are the result of the retirement of base load coal and nuclear plants coupled with the increasing reliance on intermittent wind and solar energy.