Technology Updates are Needed for the Power Grid

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Technology Updates are Needed for the Power Grid

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The winter storm of February 2011 left many people without power. Unexpected power failures in Texas left much of the state in a situation of rolling blackouts. When it’s sixteen degrees outside, it doesn’t take long for that problem to be dangerous. No one is really saying what went wrong in the operating systems of large power suppliers, but everyone is willing to admit that updates are needed for the power grid.

It appears that operators of the major power plants weren’t as prepared for a winter storm as they needed to be. When their plants began to freeze and fail, the effect was massive power outages. Technology today makes it nearly impossible to overlook a major weather event. Via the internet, weather updates are up to the minute. Therefore, it seems that the plant failures had more to do with ignorance than technology.

Since Texas is not known for its devastating winter storms, many people simply don’t know what to expect. That appear to include energy experts. Although it would seem that communication throughout the nation would have clued the plants into the coming problems, that didn’t happen. The technology is available to prevent big power outages, but the budget isn’t embracing it.

It could be that a power problem of this magnitude is just what green energy technology needed to get a better position. The best power grid update may be to get off the grid altogether, and produce energy at the individual home level. Many believe that is exactly the direction energy technology is going.