Dive Summary:
- Distributed solar units will hold up better than transformers and substations in case of an attack on the U.S. power grid, says FERC chairman Jon Wellinghoff.
- “It wouldn’t take that much to take the bulk of the power system down,” he told the Bloomberg New Energy Finance summit on Tuesday. “If you took down the transformers and the substations so they’re out permanently, we could be out for a long, long time.”
- A distributed energy system is more resilient but it also cuts into utility revenue needed to maintain the transmission system, reported the head of the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
From the article:
“Consumers are increasingly taking control of their own reliability and power consumption as they become more aware of the vulnerability of the grid, Wellinghoff said.
Those weaknesses became more visible after a gunman damaged a transformer in PG&E Corp. (PCG)’s service area April 16, triggering power shortages in Silicon Valley.”