Power grid still vulnerable
Economic losses were estimated at as much as $10 billion. Five years later, the North American electrical power grid is still highly susceptible to severe disruption.
“The vulnerability of our outdated electric transmission and distribution system is a major liability with serious implications for our national resilience, security and economy. If a tree branch can cause such a devastating failure, imagine what could happen in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster,” according to Kenneth Nahigian, Reform Institute Senior Advisor and author of the recent Institute white paper, The Smart Alternative: Securing and Strengthening Our Nation’s Vulnerable Electric Grid.
“Instead of ignoring what happened five years ago and hoping for the best, we must embrace the lessons of that experience and work towards a modernized energy infrastructure that is more resilient, secure, reliable and efficient.”
“As a key part of our critical infrastructure, revitalizing and strengthening our electrical grid must be a national priority,” added Cecilia Martinez, Reform Institute Executive Director. “Implementing the next-generation ‘Smart Grid’ will be essential to U.S. resilience and energy sustainability.”
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The package of measures includes changes to the Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy (beyond those announced earlier in the year). The changes will result in rebates, and thus savings, for domestic electricity bills over the course of the next PSO year beginning in October. This further reduction in the PSO levy occurs because of a fall in the relative cost of renewable energy, compared to…
