On July 3, the PJM Interconnection issued a Hot Weather Alert for July 5 for its entire footprint in anticipation of 90-degree temperatures.

A Hot Weather Alert helps to prepare transmission and generation personnel and facilities for extreme heat and/or humidity that may cause capacity problems on the grid.

Temperatures are expected to go above 90 degrees across the footprint, which drives up the demand for electricity.

On July 5, PJM is expecting to serve a forecasted load of approximately 140,000 MW across the RTO.

The forecasted summer peak demand for electricity is approximately 156,000 MW, but PJM has performed reliability studies at even higher loads – in excess of 163,000 MW.

PJM has approximately 186,000 MW of installed generating capacity available to meet customer needs, with sufficient resources available in reserve to cover generation that is unexpectedly unavailable or for other unanticipated changes in demand.

Last year’s peak demand was approximately 149,000 MW.

A dedicated team of operators uses sophisticated technology to balance supply and demand and direct the power grid 24/7 from PJM’s control rooms. They prepare multiple potential scenarios that could be impacted by weather, emergency conditions or equipment failure.

They adjust resource output with changes in demand and ensure that no transmission lines or facilities are overloaded.

The team also watches for unusual conditions and reacts to them to protect the electricity supply.

Click Here for the complete announcement.

For more information on regional electrical grid operations, visit the PJM Interconnection website.  PJM is the grid operator in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia, including Pennsylvania.

NewsClips:

-- UtilityDive: Most Of US Faces Elevated Risk Of Blackouts In Extreme Heat This Summer, North American Electric Reliability Corp Warns

-- Utility Dive: Texas Electric Grid Has Remained Stable Despite 9.6 GW Of Coal, Natural Gas Power Plants Being Offline; Renewables Logged New Records In Generation

-- The Guardian: Solar Helps Texas Carry Energy Load As Heatwave Puts Power Grid To Test; Atypically Large Number Of Coal, Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants Have Failed Amid Temperature Spikes

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Power Plants, Now The Top Source Of Electricity In U.S., Are To Blame For One Of The Grid’s Biggest Vulnerabilities When Weather Gets Rough

Related Articles - PJM:

-- PJM Interconnection Announces New Project Evaluation Process Begins July 10; More Than 260,000 MW Of Mostly Renewable Projects In Queue [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection Issued Hot Weather Alert For Entire Footprint For June 2   [PaEN]

-- PUC Releases Summer Readiness Reports From Electric Utilities - Adequate Capacity And Supply To Meet Summer Energy Needs  [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection: Summer Electricity Supplies Should Be Sufficient Under Anticipated Conditions; Higher Than Expected Generator Outages, Extreme Scenarios Could Bring Risk To Reserve Margins  [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week:

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Hot Weather Alert For Entire Electrical Grid Footprint for July 5   [PaEN]

-- PA-based Evangelical Environmental Network Blog: Caring For Our ‘Garden Of Eden’ - Solar Energy Benefits For Pennsylvania - By Julian Burnett, PosiGen Solar & Energy Efficiency  [PaEN]

-- Feature: Comparing The Cost Of Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles versus Electric Vehicles: Which One Is Right For You? - By Robert Donnan, McMurray, Washington County   [PaEN]

[Posted: July 3, 2023]

7/10/2023