Among the innumerable questions still surrounding the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic is one that looms over most of the U.S. as we move into the heat of summer:
Will we be sweltering in the dark?
Hot weather blackouts are common from coast to coast, almost annual events in some major population centers, as the electrical grid is strained by increased damand for air conditioning.
“But now experts are warning that millions of Americans who are working from home or are unemployed — cranking their air conditioners as the temperature rises on sunny days — will only strain transmission lines and transformers further,” reports the Daily Beast.
The irony here is that so far during the pandemic, electricity demand has been significantly lower than normal, because power-hungry industries and large commercial operations have been virtually shut down.
But as states relax their stay-at-home orders and large employers begin to reopen, there will be an extended overlap as many workers continue to quarantine — while the annual storm season brings hurricanes, tornadoes and damaging thunderstorms.
Power grid experts note that in residential areas, the electrical infrastructure “is typically designed to accommodate heavy use in the early mornings and evenings, with hours to cool off during the day,” the Daily Beast says. “Consumption patterns in these districts have already changed during the crisis, with demand spiking in the daytime.”
Usage in some residential areas in California has already jumped by up to 20%.
“Even if governments continue to lift shelter-in-place orders, many private businesses and institutions will remain dark in the weeks to come—while their remote workers light up local electric networks,” the Daily Beast says.
“If everyone plugs in at the same time, I worry about what’s going to happen,” Dr. Yury Dvorkin of New York University told the website.
“Distribution lines overheat. The transformer, which is usually located at the end of your cul-de-sac, can overheat. Because they weren’t designed to handle that kind of load,” said Lawrence Orsini of San Francisco-based LO3 Energy, a go-between for residential micro-markets and power wholesalers.
And if big blackouts do occur, utilities will face another huge problem: no cavalry to race to the rescue.
“For years, when the power went out in one region due to a natural disaster or other catastrophic event, workers from elsewhere would rush in to help restore the grid,” Bloomberg reported recently. This year, that may not happen.
“This industry is built on the expectation of helping each other in times of need,” says Scott Aaronson of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), who warns utility managers to be prepared:
“Plan as though you don’t get outside help,” he said.
