Tag Archives: transmission
FirstEnergy and the August 2003 Blackout
The biggest power outage in North America occurred on August 14, 2003. Why should Marylanders take another look at FirstEnergy’s role in that event? In the first place, the blackout cascade originated from FirstEnergy’s Ohio territory and spread to neighboring … Continue reading
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Another Step Forward for Maryland Offshore Wind
Governor O’Malley joined nine other East Coast governors in signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The MOU commits the parties to work together to coordinate a variety of issues related to developing the … Continue reading
Filed under Federal Regulation, Uncategorized
Peak Demand Falls — PJM Cancels Capacity Auction
PJM Interconnection, the private corporation that manages the regional transmission system including Maryland, has cancelled one of their regular capacity auctions. These auctions are based on forecast of peak demand during the hottest summer months. Local utilities must purchase contracts … Continue reading
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Getting Real About Maryland’s Offshore Wind
A new report from the Abell Foundation details the potential of Maryland’s offshore wind resource to meet our state’s electricity needs: … Maryland’s feasible wind resource off of its Atlantic coast (including both state and federal waters) is large enough … Continue reading
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NSA Call IBM for Reliable Power
The NSA (“No Such Agency”), located “in the vicinity” of Fort Meade, Maryland, is reported to be BGE’s largest single customer — and getting larger. Agency officials anticipated the problem nearly a decade ago as they looked ahead at the … Continue reading
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Another Alternative to the Risky Power Grid
EBay will install five natural gas fuel cells with a total capacity of 500 kilowatts at its facility in San Jose. The city approved the permit in July. The fuels cells are made by Bloom Energy: CNN Money in 2007 … Continue reading
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Power Grid Risks Exposed
60 Minutes gave us a taste of current thinking about the vulnerability of the U.S. power grid to hostile action. It ain’t pretty: Cyber War: Sabotaging the System. First, we learn that Internet attacks on private financial systems and secure … Continue reading
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EMP Risk Ignored by Transmission Planners
FERC approved financing for major, high-voltage transmission projects in and around Maryland without assessing EMP risk. EMP stands for “electromagnetic pulse.” An EMP event could be caused by a nuclear weapon or solar flares. Long transmission lines are especially vulnerable … Continue reading
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Transmission Update
Project Mountaineer is the scheme blessed by the Cheney Administration to build massive, high-voltage power lines to ship dirty, coal-fired power from the Ohio Valley to the East Coast. Attention today is focused on one leg: the Potomac Appalachian Transmission … Continue reading
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The Pollution of PATH
Reminder: Air pollution is not just a technical issue. Or an aesthetic one. Air quality is regulated because pollution kills people. Ozone and fine particulates attack the lungs, contributing to disease and premature deaths. Greenhouse gases raise global temperatures and … Continue reading
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