Posted on 08/08/2012 12:40:41 PM PDT by Sir Napsalot
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Fixing our power grid is no simple feat. The best estimates put the price tag for a new grid at two trillion dollars, or about 14% of our current gross domestic product. There is no legitimate national plan to create a new grid, nor are there public funds available to fix the grid we have.
American utility companies are as constrained as the government when it comes to meaningful investment in grid improvement. The 3,200 utility companies that touch the power grid are regulated by an equal number of agencies, many of which exist solely to minimize cost to consumers. This is undeniably good for consumers in most cases, but it has left us with a broken power grid that no one is responsible for (or capable of) fixing.
To address the frequent power outages we’ve been experiencing, we must secure a massive commitment of resources from both public and private sectors. In the absence of such a commitment, Americans must prepare for outages, blackouts, brownouts and chaotic power reliability. We must commit ourselves to the knowledge that long-duration power outages are not something that happens elsewhere. India is only geographically distant from us; its current power outage is actually far closer than we might think.
Preparation will take many forms. Families must have a supply of food and water that is not dependent on electricity to store or prepare. Businesses must back-up data and maintain secure facilities that don’t require grid-based power to remain viable. But these are the very first steps.
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There is no perfect solution to address our electrical grid’s disrepair or our nation’s increasingly poor power quality. Fixing the grid is staggeringly expensive at a time when our nation’s budget is tight. .....
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Not a prepper article, just a FYI.
We’ll be without power for about .5 second before the Generac kicks on.
Sad thing is that with a gas generator, one is dependent upon the gas station being apply to supply gas to the pump, via an electronic pumping mechanism. If they have no generator and no electricity, I’m betting even a gas powered generator will not suffice.
Yeah...and the year 2012 will see the fastest shut down of Coal fired plants, EVER!
L
Saw this, thought of you, don’t know why...
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They were all the rage in WWII, and I think FEMA has a brochure on how to build one.
/johnny
Gekgasifier.com
Solar1234.com
/johnny
Gekgasifier.com
Solar1234.com
Information on gasifiers and emergency power
Both your article and discussion thread are really good. Lots of useful info there.
“We’ll be without power for about .5 second before the Generac kicks on.”
Hungry Zombies are attracted to bright lights and noises.
I’m happy I could be of service.
Those gasifier’s kind of remind me of the old stills one might would see from time to time in the area I’m originally from. Not that anyone I knew would have one of those, of course. Those were before my time! :)
The impression this article gives, that it's an all or nothing thing, is unacceptable.
The notion that the solution is individual personal generators, is asinine.
Anyone thinking about buying a whole house generator would do well to look at the warranty, especially the fine print. If you can afford one, get one with a prime rating and not just one with a standby rating. There are natural gas fueled gensets out there you can run constantly for almost three months before any maintenance is required.
For longevity pick an 1800 rpm unit rather than a 3600 rpm unit.
Please note that the person who wrote this just happens to work for a company that mnufactures standby generators.
Would you please explain the difference between prime and standby ratings? I know nothing about that. Thank you.
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