Too Hot for Power? Is America’s Power Grid ready for the heat and humidity? What are the Reliability Issues and Potential Risks of the Drought and Stressed Conditions?

Will the stressed conditions in Southern California and the unrelenting drought conditions give rise to operating challenges?  In 2012, record heat and drought conditions across the United States plagued power plants that require cool water to produce electricity.  From Connecticut to California, high water temperatures and diminished access to water caused by drought forced a number of power plants to ramp down production or acquire waivers to operate with cooling water above regulated temperatures.  Some plants had to totally suspend operations.

Both heat and drought work together to overtax the electrical grid. Next summer we are in for a double whammy!  We have more demand for electricity and less water available to produce it.  We will be seeing the Midwest power plants “On the Edge” again next summer.

During the 2003 heat wave that killed more than 10,000 people in Europe, nuclear power plants were forced to dial back because rivers that supplied their cooling water became too warm.  Will the combination of hot weather and drought put us “Over the Edge” this summer?  Is this combination a recipe for future blackouts?

Dust off those NERC Emergency Preparedness and Operations Standards (EOP)!  Extreme Heat and Extreme Drought demand Extreme Preparation!  Are you preparing for the next summer’s extreme heat and extreme drought conditions?  360factors provides an easier way to manage all your NERC Standards, Compliance to these standards, practices, and procedures, Gap Analysis, RSAW, NERC Audits, and Job Task Analysis.

Predict360 is state-of-the-art unique NERC Compliance software which has a regulatory application tool that helps identify which standards and regulations apply to each specific type of utility.  I strongly believe this regulatory knowledge base would be a valuable tool which would enable you to take corrective and preventative actions!  Predict360 is the Solution to NERC’s risk based audits.