During the heat wave from June 22 to 25 in New York City, the load on the power grid was pushed to the breaking point; according to statistics from Con Edison, about 3% of users, or about 110,000 people, had an average power outage of about four hours during the period, and the affected areas were spread across the five major administrative districts.
Experts point out that as climate change leads to more frequent extreme heat and the accelerated retirement of old infrastructure and fossil fuel units, such “small-scale, short-term” power outages may become the new normal in the hot summer.
Data from Con Edison showed that on June 23, up to 12,000 households were without power at the same time. The power company urgently reduced the voltage by 8% in southeastern Queens and Brooklyn’s waterfront areas that day to protect equipment and avoid large-scale power outages. When the temperature soared to about 100 degrees the next day, the company once called on citizens to stop using high-energy-consuming equipment such as washing machines, dryers and microwave ovens.
Con Edison pointed out that the power outages during the high temperature were related to the overheating of some underground distribution lines. The company said that in the most severe heat in the past decade, 97% of users were still powered on. “We will accurately reduce the voltage in specific communities during peak hours to immediately reduce the equipment load and avoid larger power outages.”
AccuWeather, a weather service company, said in its summer outlook that New York City will maintain above-average temperatures until August, with up to 16 days of hot summer days above 90 degrees.
Kate Guy, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, told the New York City media Gothamist that “power outages will only become more common if there is a lack of stable and reliable new power sources to cope with these extreme variables.”
Guy reminded citizens that “extreme heat waves will only become more common and occur earlier this year, next year, and even in the next few years. New Yorkers must start planning backup plans and improve home energy efficiency.”
