The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing awareness to the electrical grid in North America, forecasted the upcoming concerns with the electrical power grid.
With sixty-percent of the United States electrical grid being powered by fossil fuels. Mike Bradley of Energy Market Strategy spoke with Jim Robb, the CEO of NERC, on the Veriten Podcast about electric reliability with the shift of political tensions in the middle east. With fluctuating prices on oil, more frequent and stronger weather, and an increased demand on the electrical grid, power outages have almost doubled in the past twenty years. In 2022 California, alone, had more than 39 major power outages across the state with Texas coming in second with 31 outages. With rolling blackouts and severe weather being the biggest threats to the grid, what can we do to make an inconvenient situation less troublesome?
One of the best things you can do is also the most expensive. Becoming personally energy self-reliant is a big financial undertaking with the construction of solar panels and a battery storage system. This isn’t a realistic step for most households, and while solar panels without a battery backup might be nice to keep rising costs down – without the battery system you are out of luck when the power stops. If you have the means – go for it. If you don’t, here are some more ideas:
Tiny Solar Panels: If you don’t have a huge system you can still get some smaller panels that can charge a phone or an Ipad. This can be really convenient if cell service is still operational.
Check your Local Power Page: Most power companies will put the estimation of the duration of a power outage on their website. While your desktop might not be able to boot up, a cell phone will get you that information. That is another reason the smaller cell-phone-charging solar panels can be a good investment.
Light Source: Make sure your flashlights, lanterns or candles are all in an easily accessible place. An extra set of batteries never hurt either. In fact, keeping your batteries in a bag attached to a flashlight or a lantern can protect you from those additional inconveniences of having a battery acid leak all over the inside of your light source.
Warmth/Cool: Making sure you have a few extra blankets or hand warmers in cold weather can make the powerless winter nights more bearable. A sleeping bag or thick duvet are a great idea to have on hand. There are a plethora of battery-operated hand warmers on the market that can be charged with that solar panel referenced above. This can help spread the warmth over longer periods of time.
Don’t forget to compensate for hot weather as well. Dipping a top sheet into water and laying over you can make night time far more comfortable. Also, putting yourself in cooler water before you go to bed can lower your temperature and make sleeping at night easier.
Food that Doesn’t Need to be Cooked: Sometimes we get stuck without power in a storm where it isn’t safe to leave the house. If all you have in the pantry or fridge are items than need to be cooked you may find yourself up a creek without a paddle. Having a small bag of non-perishable snacks on hand is a great way to keep your tummy full when the inconvenient times hit. This could include:
- Granola Bars
- Dehydrated Fruit Leather
- Beef Jerky
- Trail Mix
- Drinking Water (just in case pumps shut down).
- Etc
These foods will expire after a few months so be sure to rotate.
Entertainment: We often forget about this one. When the light is dim even reading can be a challenge. Having a few, small items on hand can make the difference between riding out an outage with stress or with ease. A deck of cards is great for groups or even a game of solitaire. A pair of dice can make a few moments of entertainment to a child who has nothing else to do. A pad of paper and a pencil can make a good background for a game of hangman or tic tac toe. They may not seem like fun activities on a sunny day, but in a power outage then can be great fun.
Have a Power Outage Spot: Keep all of your power outage items in one place (or a known, easily accessed few places). Sure, you think you will be able to remember where everything is, but when it is power is out frustration can rise and keeping things together will ensure you have everything you need and take out the stress of having to search for multiple things in the darkness.
Before you get too scared about the impending doom of a power outage – remember, our ancestors lived for thousands of years without electricity. We can do it too. And with the average power outage being only a few hours in the United States we can be assured that a majority of the time these experiences will be just a small jolt of inconvenience. But, if things do get bigger than average you can rest assured that you will be more prepared to make it through an outage without much discomfort.