In total, all of these shortcomings add up to a nationwide grid that is by and large incredibly frail, fragile and vulnerable to disruption if not outright destruction.Īside from quality of life and production problems like high failure rates throughout the nation that just get worse as time goes by, inefficient production and delivery of power and rising repair costs we must also deal with maintenance and refits that grow increasingly expensive and complex owing it to the slap dash, antiquated nature of the grid. The principles of engineering used to construct and connect it are also proving to be increasingly out of date compared with modern, better practices. ![]() The layout of the system is also a major point of vulnerability, being both obsolete and highly Byzantine in design in many regions. The actual components of our electrical system, the very equipment that allows it to operate and transmit electricity to facilities and homes is old and outdated, and getting older by the day. Seemingly Minor Incidents Can Lead to Regional Outagesĭespite this extraordinary importance to the preservation of life and society in the United States, our electrical system is frighteningly vulnerable both from within and without. When it fails, it will fail quickly and with ever-increasing rapidity. Imagine all of that, everything, ceasing in an instant and perhaps not coming back on for a very long time. We even need electricity to fill up our personal vehicles with gasoline, or to recharge them directly in the case of all electric vehicles. Electricity keeps our banks on and functioning, be it at the teller counter or at the ATM.Įlectricity keeps grocery store shelves replenished and stockrooms receiving. We rely on electricity to power our devices that keep us connected to the internet, receive radio signals or operate our televisions. Natural gas, oil, transportation and telecommunications systems are all vital to the ongoing upkeep and operation of electrical grids from coast to coast and if any of these systems are delayed or disrupted it will start an already complex and tottering electrical grid to begin swaying, and perhaps collapse.Īside from big picture national infrastructure and societal initiatives, all of us “little people” are still entirely dependent on electricity for running our day-to-day lives.ĩ9 times out of 100, electricity is what will make the lights come on to banish the darkness. The ongoing operation of our electrical grid is the keystone to modern life as we know it and anything that threatens it threatens to start disastrous dominos falling in rapid succession, ending in calamity.īut in a strange sort of symbiosis, our electrical power grid is itself dependent on many other utilities and other parts of our infrastructure. If the electrical grid goes down many elements will cease working entirely until power is restored, and what few remain working will be severely degraded or limited in capability. This is because our electrical infrastructure is quite literally integral to the continued operation and sustainment of all of the other mentioned components of our society. ![]() It is even more important than our telecommunications hubs, any financial industry, national defense or transportation. ![]() ![]() It is no overstatement to assert that our electrical grid is the single, most important part of our nation’s infrastructure. Virtually everyone living in the United States today, and indeed throughout much of the West, quite literally cannot imagine life without the reliable, constant presence of electricity.
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