Excessive Heat: Are ‘rolling blackouts’ a possibility?
“I will say we’ve done everything we possibly can to make sure we are ready for this warm weather.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - As extreme heat sets in, people across Tennessee could lose their air conditioning.
Last winter, the Tennessee Valley Authority forced electric companies across the state to turn off power in homes throughout the day. Single-digit temperatures and 40 mph winds forced what’s called “rolling blackouts.”
It was the first time in 90 years the TVA had to initiate this.
“We lost power for a little bit, and we of course had to go through and set our digital clocks every hour so that was fun,” said Nashvillian, Cheryl Brown.
WSMV4 asked TVA, with the heat this week, are rolling blackouts possible? And how can they ensure their systems can hold up to the hot temperatures?
“Number one we took the lessons learned from the winter storm and applied them to over 200 things we did to address the issues,” said Scott Brooks, Public Relations for TVA.
He said the winter storm last December exposed some vulnerabilities to the power grid. They said they checked equipment thoroughly and made sure they have contracts in place to purchase power from utilities as a backup.
“So, you are 100% certain everyone will be ok with this heat wave coming through?” asked WSMV4′s, Marissa Sulek.
“I will say we’ve done everything we possibly can to make sure we are ready for this warm weather,” said Brooks. “And again, we aren’t expecting record temperatures, we aren’t expecting record demands.”
TVA said they expect the state to use 30,000 to 31,000 megawatts of power this week. The record is 33,000 to 34,000.
“We’ve done everything we possibly can to get ready for this hot weather,” said Brooks.
To conserve energy, TVA said to close blinds and set thermostats to 75-76 degrees. They said every degree could save you 3% on your energy bill.
Copyright 2023 WSMV. All rights reserved.
