North America is facing an increased risk of summer blackouts due to America’s increased reliance on green energy, according to a leading grid reliability watchdog.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) released its 2023 summer reliability assessment last week, and it determined that two–thirds of North America may experience power shortages this summer due to spikes in temperature. According to the group, the vulnerability of the nation’s power grid stems from the shift away from fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, and towards green power sources like wind and solar.
As John Moura, Director of Reliability Assessment and Performance Analysis at NERC, said, “The system is closer to the edge. More needs to be done.”
The warning from NERC also has federal officials worried. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Member Mark Christie stated at a recent Senate hearing that “I’m afraid to say it, but I think the United States is heading towards a catastrophic situation.”
These warnings have not stopped President Joe Biden from pushing ahead with his plans to accelerate the closure of coal–fired power plants and increase taxes and subsidies for electric vehicles. This could put even more strain on the nation’s power grid. For example, California recently asked electric car drivers to stop charging their vehicles due to grid strain.
Michelle Bloodworth, CEO of America’s Power, commented on the situation, saying “Coal is more than five times as dependable as wind and more than twice as dependable as solar when electricity demand is greatest, yet bad public policy and EPA regulations are forcing the closure of coal plants.”
It does not appear that the Biden Administration is taking these warnings over power scarcity seriously. California Energy Commission Vice Chair Siva Gunda recently went on record saying “We understand we cannot have the lights go off. But the fear of these questions being brought up is not a reason to slow down from what we know is morally and societally what we need to do.”
As the administration moves full steam ahead with its green energy agenda, many Americans are worried that the nation’s power grid will not be able to handle the strain, leading to rolling blackouts that could affect millions of people. Time will tell if the government will address these concerns, or if they will continue on with their plans.