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shillyshally t1_j1kn2o3 wrote

The entire context is that it is really cold. Usage is high.

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blowjob215 t1_j1konr2 wrote

"We do have some strain on the system," PJM spokeswoman Susan Buehler told NBC10. "We're seeing increased demand because of the frigid temperatures, but we are also seeing power plants -- that we are calling on -- having difficulty managing and turning the systems on because the temperatures are so cold."

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nderhjs t1_j1kv4zi wrote

It’s been this cold before, is there something about it this time? Was it because they usually need to prepare and didn’t because this came on so fast?

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Brraaap t1_j1l040c wrote

Probably has to do with the amount of the nation in unseasonably cold temperatures. Everyone's cold, so there's no excess production available to the grid

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jamin_g t1_j1l4cfp wrote

In the recent past, more and more people have shifted from combustion to electrical heat.

Heat pumps get less and less efficient as temps drop and require more and more electric.

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Dismal-Ideal1672 t1_j1lqec8 wrote

This, but also how widespread the geography is. PJM is the interconnect for most of the Eastern seaboard. This let's them balance load across regions, but if we're all using more than usual, there's only so much supply that can be spun up on demand. That extra electricity will be gas generators usually, with a limited amount of continuous supply (and high cost).

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eaglewatch1945 t1_j1o38wb wrote

I never thought I'd say this, but "thank you, oil furnace."

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TheBSQ t1_j1ls02d wrote

In warmer climates, electric heating has always been common, and usually very inefficient forms, like electric baseboards.

What your saying is all true and it’s probably a factor, but I’d bet it has more to do with the fact that the cold really widespread and so there’s a lot of “warm” places using electric baseboard heating (and space heaters) than it is an uptick in housing using heat pumps.

And there’s also a bit of a mix where some heat pump systems have resistance heat backup systems for when it gets really cold.

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Triplsticks t1_j1qtljr wrote

Heat pumps are around twice as efficient as other conventional electric heat systems, even at these temperatures. Definitely not the issue.

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jamin_g t1_j1ra29k wrote

Yeah so, in most situations, at least that I encounter, the replacement when we are adding a heat pump is usually replacing an oil or gas system, or a previously uncontrolled space.

If you find a heat pump that uses less electric than an oil furnace, I don't know, I'll streak across Link at the two minute warning.

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Genkiotoko t1_j1l8u16 wrote

I'd guess you're essentially right. Utilities likely didn't buy nearly enough generation on the futures market, causing a lot of last- minute purchasing for more generation. Power plants take time to heat up, especially in brutally cold temps.

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gwhh t1_j1n39r9 wrote

Drop 35 degrees in a few hours. That very usually.

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FordMaverickFan t1_j1ocmhz wrote

There has been a growing trend of people dumping natural gas appliances and an increase of electric car sales.

Texas gets all of the media coverage but the grid in the northeast is the oldest in the country so we're in for a rough couple of years.

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Past_Cartographer230 t1_j1kq10w wrote

Our entire countries grid is in dire need of an upgrade. With more people driving electric cars it is only going to get worse.

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NoREEEEEEtilBrooklyn t1_j1kr08r wrote

Need to start building Nuclear, moving all above ground wires underground, and upgrading utility infrastructure asap.

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Is_that_your_wow- t1_j1kuz7q wrote

Here's an idea. Why not put gears like a grandfather clock inside skyscrapers. Have the lobby gym wind it up, or hire people. Let it drop and crank energy all day.

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Cloaked42m t1_j1lris4 wrote

I actually find the idea of human hamster wheels amusing. But it doesn't generate that much energy.

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MajorNoodles t1_j1m4pok wrote

There's an episode of Black Mirror that you would love.

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rushrhees t1_j1m2nrn wrote

I know that and Soylent green would theoretically solve a lot of issues but margins and logistics I guess

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NoREEEEEEtilBrooklyn t1_j1kvh0c wrote

I’m down for that. Pay the homeless in food to power society. Win win.

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clickstops t1_j1ky53y wrote

Pay our most marginalized citizens in soup kitchen allowance to be human hamsters on the energy wheel?

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largeroastbeef t1_j1l8cxn wrote

It kinda sounds like the beginning of the matrix where the robots make people their energy source

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NoREEEEEEtilBrooklyn t1_j1l2fhu wrote

Not soup kitchen allowance. Really good food. And they’re free to leave whenever. Completely voluntary.

Also, in case people can’t tell, I’m joking. We should just have nuclear energy plants with supplemental solar/wind. Human hamsters would be too weird.

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Is_that_your_wow- t1_j1kvtox wrote

Gravity powered LED lights already are replacing oil lamps in places that use them. I'm just surprised no ones designed this along an elevator shaft.

Hiring homeless in food sounds like a good idea, but not sure if that's the best incentive or most productive workforce. Philly doesn't have absolute poverty. No one is starving to death, and the homeless mostly are addicts or mentally ill. Although paying people money usually works well, even for our poorer Philadelphian friends.

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Frummage t1_j1mqfdv wrote

Most homeless in Philly are families with children, and most are not on the street but in shelters or moving from temporary accommodation to temporary accommodation. The visibly homeless are a minority.

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owenhinton98 t1_j1mxn8f wrote

A good chunk (pretty sure it’s a majority) of “visible homeless” aren’t even homeless at all, just looking to score…you can tell because the ones that ask for change to “get a bite to eat” will decline food offerings and clearly only wanna score

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Past_Cartographer230 t1_j1m2fnk wrote

The fact that our city still has tons of above ground electrical wires baffles me.

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youlleatitandlikeit t1_j1m7mhj wrote

Yes it reduces the amount of potential damage from storms but the added complexity in repairing and installing new lines might balance out in terms of loss of service

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JDowling88 t1_j1mno2i wrote

Especially in CA, the utilities are ramping up fire hardening (going ug when they can, replacing wood poles with metal where they can't) and, especially in Southern CA, have been doing this for years. PGE is well behind, and they've paid dearly for it.

But even in places that don't see widespread outages from weather, electric lines should be underground. This protects from local outages; and while initial costs are high, long-term cost is a fraction of the overall cost of replacing above-grade lines when things go bad.

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lordredsnake t1_j1l2jsw wrote

Electric cars are still a tiny share of the demand. On the other hand, more buildings are switching to heat pumps or being built with heat pumps from the get go. They're very efficient, but it's still electrical demand that wasn't there before. The price of natural gas is going up (and will continue to as we liquify and export it, which is accelerating that trend toward electric.

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nderhjs t1_j1kv6h9 wrote

Someone make those crystals from Glass Onion

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stonkautist69 t1_j1o4qkd wrote

Ah yes it does. Which components need replacement? You seem to be an expert

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