The difference between black and brown

"Supply and demand were left out of the equation. We now have more demand than supply - especially during very hot periods in the summertime."

Sorry Gary - this is not about race. This is about the number of articles which have appeared as of late concerning our precarious power situation. Wait - what? What power situation? The people we have elected to represent us, have decided over the past ten to 20 years, to make us greener - by force. We have our power sources now mandated by big government. More renewables, less fossil or nuclear. One very small problem with that. Supply and demand were left out of the equation. We now have more demand, than supply - especially during very hot periods in the summertime.

This year, for the first time in my memory, we could have either brownouts, blackouts, or "rolling" blackouts. Time to get smart on what all of these are. Some already know this, others do not. So, here we go:

Brownout - This is when the power dips for a period of time. There still is power, but everything looks "dim". The good news, is there still is power, albeit, not enough for normal operations. The bad news is a brownout is not benign - it can be harmful to electronic devices. 

To protect yourself if you find you are in a brownout, unplug your TV(s), computer (s), chargers, and so forth. Maybe even turn your air conditioner off for a while - at least until normal power resumes. And even then, the power can "bounce around" for a while. Brownouts are not planned events. They happen when the load is too much for the supply. 

Blackout -  These are normally unplanned. Most of us have been through a power outage due to some kind of weather event. I know - it sucks. Nothing works. No well pump, no air conditioner, no lights, no freezer, no fridge, no electric stove, no TV or radio (unless battery driven) - nothing. This happens when the load is so strong on a grid, the grid actually shuts down - it fails. How long it would be down depends on the severity of the failure. If it is a cyber attack instead of a load issue, the outage could take a while. 

Rolling Blackouts - These are planned. The utility company, to keep from any unplanned brownouts or blackouts, will notify customers that between the hours of "x" and "y", their power will be shut off. A two hour outage for example, is inconvenient and a pain. But the house should maintain a good temperature, and the food in freezers should remain frozen.

ALL of these conditions, could have been prevented, with the right kind of grid and power sources. We have over 100 years of natural gas left in this country. It burns clean. We could still be using that in our power plants. Nukes are very green. We could have more nukes. Yes, even windmills help to a degree, but they are not yet ready for prime time. Until renewables are ready for prime time, we need to use everything we have, to ensure power continuity.