Winter Electric Grid Reliability Causes Concern/Public Radio

As we head into winter, this is a stark reminder of surges in demand and the compromises we make in filling those.  Our first line of defense against using dirty power is efficiency and lower consumption.  Then we can be creative in how to fill the shrinking pipeline.

New England's electric grid operator says the region should have enough fuel to get through the winter, even if the weather gets colder than expected. But, as Annie Ropeik reports, utilities and power users are still worried about winter reliability long-term.

The grid operator, ISO-New England, says they learned some things from last winter's cold snap. Demand was high and natural gas imports and pipelines were strained. Power plants turned to their coal and oil reserves, emitting enough carbon to negate 75 percent of the environmental benefits of solar power in Massachusetts.

This year, ISO said, it will do better forecasting demand and allocating limited fuel resources. And it'll pay power plants extra to stay online during times of high demand.

But there are concerns for the future. ISO and utilities say the region is too reliant on natural gas, without enough pipelines to deliver more of it as older power plants retire. And market changes to add reliability in other ways can increase costs for consumers.

You can hear the segment here:  https://thepublicsradio.org/article/winter-electric-grid-reliability-causes-concern-for-future?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=PBN%20Morning%20Call&utm_campaign=2018_1211_Call