(NEXSTAR) \u2013 Large swathes of the U.S. could suffer blackouts this summer, according to the annual assessment from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report, which forecasts how prepared the energy grids that power air conditioners, medical devices, lights and other vital resources are, found that roughly two thirds of the country are at an \u201celevated risk\u201d of power loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those regions include the entire continental U.S. from Texas to the West Coast, along with large portions of the Midwest and New England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Courtesy: NERC)
Despite the extensive areas flagged by the nonprofit, there is some positive news. In contrast to last year\u2019s report, there are no \u201chigh risk\u201d regions where normal peak conditions could max out operating reserves. In 2022, the NERC map showed many states under the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, either entirely or partly at high risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Potentially significant\u2019 El Ni\u00f1o to begin by summer
\u201cIncreased, rapid deployment of wind, solar and batteries have made a positive impact,\u201d Mark Olson, NERC\u2019s manager of Reliability Assessments, said in a statement. \u201cHowever, generator retirements continue to increase the risks associated with extreme summer temperatures, which factors into potential supply shortages in the western two-thirds of North America if summer temperatures spike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year\u2019s analysis shows that the grids should be able to function under normal summer weather, but extreme weather events such as the deadly 2021 \u201cheat dome\u201d, a period of record heat baking much of the Western U.S., could cripple grids from the Pacific Northwest and Sun Belt to Texas, according to energy and environment publication E&E News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe system is closer to the edge. More needs to be done,\u201d John Moura, NERC director of reliability assessment and performance analysis, told reporters Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using past data of Americans\u2019 summer energy usage and temperature history, the NERC is estimating that there is a 1-in-10 chance this summer of extreme conditions, according to E&E.<\/p>\n\n\n\n