Is the U.S.Power Grid close to Failing this Summer?

Can you imagine not having air conditioning on a 90 degree day with 100% humidity...

Not being able to watch your favorite episode of "American Idol"...

Not having "Fresh Brewed Coffee" ready and waiting when you jump out of bed...

An interesting article I just read has some good points to ponder in relation to some things we (our government) need to do in order to make sure that our electrical power grid does not fail this summer.....thus causing wide spread blackouts across the country.....and to help protect our grid from natural or manmade disasters.

From the article I just read:

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Not only is the U.S. power grid overloaded, it is also outdated. When the American Society of Civil Engineers last issued its report card for U.S. infrastructure, it gave the grid a D. Last July one hundred thousand residents of Queens, New York were without power for nine sweltering days (PDF) as the local utility provider struggled to repair seven failed transformers whose average age was thirty-one years.

The U.S. power grid is vulnerable to external factors as well. Large storms can produce lasting outages, as can well-planned acts of sabotage. CFR homeland security expert Stephen E. Flynn worries that terrorists are honing such skills in Iraq and could soon begin applying them in the United States. In his book, The Edge of Disaster, Flynn argues the United States must construct a more resilient infrastructure.

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Read on:

http://www.cfr.org/publication/13151/girding_the_power_grid.html?breadcrumb=%2Findex

I feel we need to do something and take corrective course of actions such as what Europe is doing right now....

Otherwise it could prove to be a dark summer at times.......

I myself plan on stocking up on candles and coolers and sternos and batteries so I can have light and radio and be able to store my food and cook my meals.....

Also below I have included a link to an interesting article that gives a pretty good overview of the "power grid" and how it works....

http://www.science.smith.edu/~jcardell/Courses/EGR220/ElecPwr_HSW.html

A good day to all.