The Possible end of Heatwave induced power outages?

henrybai091
Jul 12, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Aug 16, 2021

As we probably all know, there have been extreme wildfires throughout the west coast of the US and extending up into Canada. They can be seen all over news outlets, walls of flames releasing huge columns of smoke that cover the landscape like a blanket, causing health problems for humans even death. The images of Vancouver covered in smoke show us the devastating effects of wildfires.

Vancouver, July 2021

Heatwaves connecting to outages.

Wildfires are often connected to massive heatwaves; the sweltering heat and dry conditions are perfect for the birth of wildfires. When people hear or see “Intensive Heat Warning”, they often stay inside and crank the air conditioning up. This leads to a huge load placed on power plants and utilities, exposing flaws in the American Power grid.

The Current US Power grid.

Transmission lines.

When power systems are ran under conditions that are intensely hot and dry, they tend to not perform well. The capacity of transmission lines goes down, and this is further worsened by the fact that when the transmissions line carry a higher capacity, they heat up even more.

Heat causes expansion, the metal conductors inside those power lines expand and cause the lines to droop. If that powerline droops too much, it will touch the foliage on the ground and then the powerline won't be able to carry electricity.

High Voltage Powerlines.

Power Plants.

The discussion surrounding electricity vulnerability during heat waves is primarily connected to nuclear power plants. These plants depend on cooling water to keep production high and steady. When heatwaves are entered into the equation, the power plants can experience problems relating to the cooling of water.

During the heat waves in Europe of 2003 and 2006, 17 nuclear power plants sprawled across Germany, France, Spain, and Romania had to lower production or even shut down completely.

“The analysis shows that higher temperatures lead to reduced production in power plants and hence higher electricity costs. Prices shoot up,”

“The higher the temperature, the lower the power plant’s efficiency. Prices, therefore, rise in line with the temperature”.

-Professor Oivind A. Nilson of the Norwegian School of Economics.

The fact is that all thermal power plants- nuclear, natural gas, and coal all need massive amounts of water to cool and control production. In intense heat waves, the water temperature is high, which subsequently leads to a decrease in production and efficiency.

What can be done?

Did you know that coal-fired and nuclear power plants are only 34% efficient in generating electricity? That means that the other 66% of heat generated is completely wasted, it's used to heat the sky! The heat that is wasted in US power plants is equivalent to the entire energy budget of Japan. It’s the same with internal combustion engines, except those are worse, they waste 75-85 percent of heat energy generated.

Enter Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

An example of a CHP system.

In a CHP system, the heat produced by a combustion turbine that burns fuel (natural gas, oil, or biogas) is used to generate electricity and also for heat recovery devices that capture that energy from the turbine. The heat is then converted into thermal energy, which can be used as steam or hot water.

Here's a short YouTube video explaining how CHP works:

The adoption of CHP makes sense financially for industrial, commercial, and some residential use, and for companies that can’t access renewable energy. It allows them to generate more energy with the same cost and fuel.

The widespread adoption of CHP is a step in the right direction. It paves the wave for green energy generation methods. It can also help reduce water usage and thermal water pollution.

What's the progress?

Widespread use in Denmark.

The use of CHP in Denmark is largely thanks to government regulations. This technology has been used in the early 20th century and the oil crisis only increased the use of CHP. Thanks to tax policies and other policies, the Danish have managed to identify new opportunities for energy-efficient heat generation and also make the energy grid more decentralized. Along with incentives for cogeneration, this has helped make Denmark a leader in cogeneration, with 80% of district heating and 60% of energy demand coming from CHP.

A CHP Plant in Denmark.

Mainstream adoption in Finland.

Unlike Denmark, the Finnish transformation to CHP is market-driven. The huge forestry and paper industries mean that biomass-based cogeneration is efficient because of the large amounts of available wood. Because of the cold climate, there is also a good return on investment for heating infrastructure. This has helped the Finnish power 69% of their district heating from cogeneration.