You Can't Keep Hitting New Peak Loads Week After Week And Not Expect A Problem

Today's EEI Newsletter reports that:

Grid Facing 'Fairly Significant Strain' as Gas Futures Climb

As gas futures neared a six-month high, EEI acknowledged that there was a "fairly significant strain" on the nation's [electric] power grid, according to the Associated Press. Wrote the newswire: "Particularly vulnerable are the distribution lines, which heat up and sag as more juice flows through them, raising the risk of outages."

. . .

Wrote the AP: "Although there were some unplanned nuclear power-plant outages in Michigan and Minnesota due to the heat, [EEI spokesman Jim] Owen said power generators and distributors appear to have enough capacity to meet demand. Still, grid operators told utilities to be prepared to implement emergency procedures, while utilities asked their customers to conserve electricity by not setting their thermostats too low, and by postponing the use of major appliances until the off-peak evening hours."

Wrote the Journal: "Demand was forecast to reach 119,396 megawatts in the Midwest yesterday, surpassing the 113,054 megawatt record set July 17. (One megawatt can power about 500 households.) PJM Interconnection, of Norristown, Pa., the grid monitor for mid-Atlantic states, predicted peak demand of 143,310 megawatts today, well above the 139,746 megawatts reached July 17. New England predicted record electricity demand tomorrow, surpassing the record set two weeks ago, according to the Independent System Operator of New England."
Associated Press via ABC News.com , July 31; Wall Street Journal , USA Today , Aug. 1.

Too many people using too much electricity to battle the heat caused by global climate change which is caused, in part, by too many people using too much electricity . . . .

We need national leadership today, right now, this minute to implement stringent conservation measures in order to lessen the liklihood that the grid will go down. We're not getting it.