Severe, long-lasting heatwaves could cause electricity shortages in up to two-thirds of North America this summer.
- Current electric generation capacity is sufficient for normal summer weather; however, sudden temperature spikes, high fossil plant outage rates, and low renewable output could trigger emergency power interruptions.
Key factors: Wind output in MISO and SPP, two of the country’s largest regional transmission organizations, will be crucial for maintaining electricity reliability.
- The assessment also points to natural gas and coal supply risks and the EPA’s new “Good Neighbor Plan” rule, which may limit operational hours for coal plants.
What it means: The EPA rule could shut down 90% of fossil fuel power plants if they can’t comply with new emission standards… and green energy and carbon capture tech is not advancing enough to replace them.