September Heat Wave, Peak Power Crisis, and Climate Change
NJ Spotlight today reports that yesterday’s record high temperatures led to a record in peak demand for the month of September and triggered PJM emergency declarations in 4 states, see: SEPTEMBER SCORCHER SPIKES PEAK DEMAND ON REGIONAL POWER GRID
Curiously, NJ was not one of the 4 States under the PJM emergency, a fact that goes unexplained in the story.
That explanation of why NJ was OK is very important, because PSEG and the the power guys have repeatedly been warning the public that the sky is falling and we must build billion dollar new power lines to import dirty coal power, new gas lines to import frack gas, and new instate gas fired power plants, spin that is regurgitated in the story.
Instead of taking that controversial issue head on, seeking journalistic balance, the story merely noted that environmentalists argue that energy conservation, demand management, and distributed renewable energy are better solutions than new power lines and plants.
There is no mention of the role of climate change and the imperative to reduce carbon emissions.
And on top of that, the issues are all presented as a he/said she said with no facts offered, so, in the general public’s mind, of course the power guys have more credibility on their energy issue than the enviro’s.
These deficits in the story are curious, because all the critical facts are in the public record and part of the BPU review process.
For example, just days ago, I posted relevant data from expert testimony testimony in a BPU proceeding on the decline in peak demand, the decline in total demand, and the lower costs of efficiency.
Most critically, the data show that PSEG is doing a lousy job of energy efficiency, reaping less than 1% of potential savings.
And recently, the national media – including pro- business outlets like Forbes – have begun to realize that energy conservation and distributed renewable power pose an “existential threat” to the energy industry’s business model, see:
So, there are good reasons for deep skepticism of the continuing spin by the power guys – they know that their days are numbered and they’re desperate.
Somehow, that message and skepticism have not yet sunk in in NJ.
Last, I got a kick out of this PJM explanation for the emergency:
“Extreme heat in the western region of PJM resulted in record demand for September at a time when many power plants and some transmission lines were off for seasonal maintenance,’’ said Terry Boston, PJM’s CEO. “Our only option to prevent a potential equipment overload and failure that would cause a much bigger interruption was to call for emergency relief in the form of controlled outages.’’
The heat wave was forecast – PJM and utilities had advanced warning and time to prepare.
Additionally, PJM planners must know that climate change has altered the seasons – we are experiencing earlier springs and later summers – and has significantly increased the probability of heat waves and “extreme heat” 90+ degree days.
So an early September heat wave is the so called “new normal”. (I hate that phrase).
All that apparently was ignored by PJM – which should be a scandal.
Taking base load or peak plants and power lines off line in early September for maintenance is the utility equivalent of the NJ Transit storing railcars in a flood plain as Sandy approached.
This PJM emergency is another example of the effects of climate change, the need to reduce emissions, and to begin serious adaptation planning to manage the impacts of climate change we already are experiencing.