Texas Drought Continues, Massive Strain On Electrical Grid Will Produce Rolling Blackouts. Can We Talk About Climate Change Now?
enlarge So will Texans still chant the right-wing “no such thing as global warming” mantra, or will they finally wise up and start demanding their officials do something to save what’s left of our ability to survive on the planet? Oh, and grow crops, too: Electricity officials in heatwave-hit Texas have warned of impending rolling blackouts from power shortages as the U.S. state struggles to cope with the relentless scorching temperatures. Texans have turned to air conditioners in huge numbers in a bid to beat one of the hottest summers on record in America’s second most populous state. But bosses for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) say the soaring power demand in the face of the brutal heatwave has left the state one power plant shut-down away from rolling blackouts. Temperatures in Texas are currently topping 100F (37.8C) and have been soaring for well over a month. Record highs have also been recorded this week in nearby states Oklahoma and Arkansas as the relentless heatwave spreads across southern America. In Forth Smith and Little Rock, Arkansas, the mercury hit 115F on Wednesday. ERCOT, which runs the power grid for most of Texas, cut power to some large industrial users after electricity demand hit three consecutive records this week alone. The grid operator now faces rolling blackouts similar to those which hit Texas during a bitter cold snap in February. In Dallas, Texas, a pensioner died from ‘heat-related’ causes after her air conditioning unit was stolen from her house. Power usage in ERCOT reached its highest level ever on Wednesday at 68,294 megawatts, almost four per cent over last year’s peak. The Texas grid faces at least one more day of extreme stress before temperatures cool slightly over the weekend.
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on August 6, 2011. Filed under