Power Grid Failure Remains A Game-Changer

When the power grid fails, modern life rapidly grinds to a halt. This game-changer is an issue we must seriously recognize. Whether we are talking about the grid or soaring electricity cost one thing is very clear, we are very dependent on electricity. This article should be considered a reminder of the fragility of our codependent modern society and how the things we have come to depend on could vanish in a heartbeat. By highlighting some of the vulnerabilities we face, even if they have been voiced by others in the past, at least we raise awareness of some of the dangers we face. 

News of blackout and energy shortages also raises the question of what is going on and whether we are being "toyed with" by those pushing us towards what they see as a greener future. It could be argued these "outages" are why we need to rapidly, "build back better" the whole grid. Of course, the flip side of that argument is that overzealous environmentalists are causing most of the problems that have resulted in outages. Electricity remains the lubricant of modern life, without it society cannot function. A great deal of damage occurs to the economy when a  power outage takes place. People can't work, food supplies are damaged, and in times of inclement weather, people suffer greatly. Most Americans remember the power outage that gripped much of Texas in February of 2021. It resulted in pipes freezing and bursting and a great deal of suffering.

Blackouts have long been a thing of the past in most major cities but that has started to change. According to Bloomberg, the energy crisis that is rippling through Asia and Europe could unleash similar electricity shortages and blackouts in the United States. Soaring natural gas prices are forcing U.S. utilities to quickly turn to more coal. This is expected to cause huge price increases for consumers of electricity in the future. The soaring natural gas, coal, and oil prices are a clear signal the green energy transition will not be fast or cheap. Supply chain problems and a lack of workers are rapidly adding to concerns.  Due to a combination of these factors, several areas of the world are experiencing electricity disruptions. People in China, the UK, Continental Europe, and now India are currently seeing power outages.

The reality we face is that labor shortages and a COVID-related collapse in global supply chains have made a mess of things. All this has left several countries desperate for badly needed fuel supplies from LNG to coal to unrefined crude oil. While this has taken the focus off financial issues such as the failure of Evergrande, the power cuts are causing real and immediate pain. With areas forced to adopt rolling blackouts, we can expect the temporary loss of power to factories to further weaken supply chains. At least two factory owners in southern Guangdong province confirmed to the ABC that they have had to partially halt operations as power plants struggle.

Years ago, Ted Koppel the veteran newsman and the former anchor of ABC’s Nightline wrote a book that delved into how we have grown accustomed to cyber-attacks and makes the point that we have never had a cyber-attack that amounts to a weapon of mass destruction.  The secretary of defense at the time, Leon Panetta, called the threat of a cyber-attack on the power grid potentially a cyber-Pearl Harbor. An attack that would bring down our nation's power grid would be devastating. There is no question that the moment the lights go out everything would change and both our country and economy would immediately be forced into survival mode.

Devastating Power Outages Happen

If you want a vision of real "gloom and doom" take a moment and ponder the possibility of a devastating cyber-attack on America's power grid. Being a believer in several of the ideas and theories presented by writers like Nicolas Taleb, author of the best-sellers "The Black Swan" and later a book titled "Antifragile" it is not unusual that I find Ted Koppel's book interesting. The book titled "Lights Out", points out that a cyber-attack on America's power grid is not only possible but likely and that we as both a country and as a culture are shockingly unprepared for such an occurrence. 

In fact, our whole society has become based on what we consider an unending flow of current that allows us to live lives of comfort. In the past when the lights go out it is usually because of Mother Nature and we have always managed to get through it. But what if the power went out in several states affecting millions of people for weeks, even months?  In "Lights Out," Koppel  does not pussyfoot around, he paints a grim picture of a paralyzing power outage in the form of an all-out cyber-attack on the nation's electrical grid. This is a grim possibility few Americans are willing to consider or face. When Americans can no longer check their food stamp balance on their $800 cell phone, it means reality has come home to roost. 

 

 (Republishing of this article welcomed with reference to Bruce Wilds/AdvancingTime Blog)