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NickB79

(19,110 posts)
Fri Feb 4, 2022, 11:55 PM Feb 2022

As Earth warms, air conditioning use could exceed power supply in next decade

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-04/as-earth-warms-air-conditioning-could-exceed-power-supply

As climate change pushes temperatures ever higher, Californians could lose air conditioning for roughly one week each summer because the demand for cooling will have exceeded the capacity of the electrical grid, a new study has found.

Absent any improvement to the power infrastructure or the efficiency of air conditioners, researchers say the state could hit this sweltering mark by the early 2030s, when global average temperature is predicted to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

If that happens, residents can expect more rolling blackouts like those seen during the punishing heatwave of August 2020, or even prolonged outages like the ones that followed severe winter storms that hit Texas in February 2021, according to the authors of the study, which appeared in Earth’s Future, a publication of the American Geophysical Union.

The researchers projected an even bigger increase in air conditioner-less days in some Southern and Midwestern states. Researchers predicted an average of 13.9 days for Missouri and 13.5 days for Illinois.


Only 10 years from now. Imagine regular heat domes like the Pacific Northwest saw last year, but with blackouts in major cities. The death toll will be in horrific.
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As Earth warms, air conditioning use could exceed power supply in next decade (Original Post) NickB79 Feb 2022 OP
In San Diego you can't afford to run the A/C. BigmanPigman Feb 2022 #1
Do you have a ceiling fan? Bayard Feb 2022 #3
Yes, but I discovered BigmanPigman Feb 2022 #5
I had a whole house fan in one of my houses and we hardly turned the air on...it worked well. Demsrule86 Feb 2022 #20
Ever Heard Of Solar Panels? DanieRains Feb 2022 #2
California is proposing a tariff on residential solar panels NickB79 Feb 2022 #7
I Can't Say What I Would Do With My Rope Here DanieRains Feb 2022 #8
Well this wouldn't have happened if we elected democrats to office. cinematicdiversions Feb 2022 #13
Do you want them to be more 'liberal?' RandiFan1290 Feb 2022 #21
Solar panels stop working work as the sun goes down. hunter Feb 2022 #12
Air conditioning started the megatrend of massive migration to the south unblock Feb 2022 #4
Right, people will start heading back north. Irish_Dem Feb 2022 #10
Sunshades, windowless design, insulation and more nuclear plants should solve the problem Klaralven Feb 2022 #6
But why don't they? cinematicdiversions Feb 2022 #14
Start a thread about nuclear here Sympthsical Feb 2022 #16
I have dipped my toe there more than once on this board. cinematicdiversions Feb 2022 #17
I Propose A New Law - 100 Years In Prison For Slowing Down Solar Panel Installations DanieRains Feb 2022 #9
I don't have anything against solar panels on homes, rooftops, parking lots... hunter Feb 2022 #19
Oh great. live love laugh Feb 2022 #11
Yeah, we've decided to go with solar Sympthsical Feb 2022 #15
Just when we were considering installing air conditioning, too DFW Feb 2022 #18
Wright's Law. Cost of batteries dropping, power increasing, weight decreasing, longevity increasing BSdetect Feb 2022 #22
Which is potentially offset by Jovan's Paradox NickB79 Feb 2022 #23
What impact does AC have on global warming? MichMan Feb 2022 #24

BigmanPigman

(51,430 posts)
1. In San Diego you can't afford to run the A/C.
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 12:05 AM
Feb 2022

It is also too expensive to turn on the heat too. I am wearing long johns, flannel pjs, gloves and two pairs of socks right now due to outrageous SDG&E rates. The heat is in the ceiling and by the time I start to feel it my upstairs neighbor has already been benefitting from my heat and $$$. Who puts heat in a ceiling?!?!?!

Bayard

(21,802 posts)
3. Do you have a ceiling fan?
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 12:12 AM
Feb 2022

Reverse the blades so its actually pulling the air down and circulating it, instead of summer mode.

BigmanPigman

(51,430 posts)
5. Yes, but I discovered
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 12:15 AM
Feb 2022

about a month ago that it is on its last legs. The directional button no longer works and it only has 2 speeds now. For it to start you have to give the blades a push by hand. I am saving my money to hire an electrician and probably install a new one when I can afford it. I am on a tight budget.

NickB79

(19,110 posts)
7. California is proposing a tariff on residential solar panels
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 12:53 AM
Feb 2022

It would penalize people who want to install rooftop solar, and drastically cut demand for new installation. Kind of nuts, given reports like this.

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/californias-proposed-nem-tariffs-could-halve-residential-solar-market-by-2/617836/

 

cinematicdiversions

(1,969 posts)
13. Well this wouldn't have happened if we elected democrats to office.
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 03:10 AM
Feb 2022

Elections matter. ... (do I need the sarcasm tag?)

hunter

(38,264 posts)
12. Solar panels stop working work as the sun goes down.
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 02:28 AM
Feb 2022

On hot days here in California we're being asked to curtail our electric use from 4-9 PM, when the air conditioning is still on and people are coming home from work and turning lights and appliances on.

https://energyupgradeca.org/time-of-use/

https://www.flexalert.org/

Hydroelectric power here is already optimized, and becomes especially problematic in times of drought.

unblock

(51,974 posts)
4. Air conditioning started the megatrend of massive migration to the south
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 12:14 AM
Feb 2022

I wonder if this might signal that trend, around 70 years old already, might only have another decade or two.

 

Klaralven

(7,510 posts)
6. Sunshades, windowless design, insulation and more nuclear plants should solve the problem
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 12:17 AM
Feb 2022

California doesn't generate enough electricity to power itself. It imports a lot via a few transmission lines from the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, Arizona. If something were to happen to them, it would go dark.

 

cinematicdiversions

(1,969 posts)
17. I have dipped my toe there more than once on this board.
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 03:53 AM
Feb 2022

Particularly in criticism of Germany and the Greens.

I know what you mean.

hunter

(38,264 posts)
19. I don't have anything against solar panels on homes, rooftops, parking lots...
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 09:33 AM
Feb 2022

... and other lands that have already been trashed by humans.

Trashing previously undeveloped lands is criminal and smacks of "We had to destroy nature in order to save it."

Large scale desert solar plants are obscene.

Sympthsical

(8,932 posts)
15. Yeah, we've decided to go with solar
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 03:32 AM
Feb 2022

Been getting estimates and quotes and things the past few weeks. It's a whole thing. It's probably going to end up running $20k total, Maybe a little more when all is said and done.

Relying on PG&E in California seems increasingly like a fool's errand. Energy prices are increasing, the lines go down if you breathe on them wrong, and rolling anything isn't something I'm keen to participate in.

We're frugal types, so we keep our utility bill low. Plus high ceilings with tons of south-facing windows makes running AC in the summer a very expensive proposition. At least this way we can stop worrying about that sort of thing. And it eventually pays for itself and adds value to the home.

BSdetect

(8,989 posts)
22. Wright's Law. Cost of batteries dropping, power increasing, weight decreasing, longevity increasing
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 10:38 AM
Feb 2022

Recyclable materials and processes increasing.

And much the same for solar panels.

Then we have insulation materials

I'd say that report has some deficiencies.

Just saw this rather important news.

https://scitechdaily.com/mit-engineers-create-the-impossible-new-material-that-is-stronger-than-steel-and-as-light-as-plastic/

Cheap and plentiful material - think lighter cars / flying vehicles etc




NickB79

(19,110 posts)
23. Which is potentially offset by Jovan's Paradox
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 11:32 AM
Feb 2022

The cheaper and more efficient something becomes, the more we use it, offsetting the gains made.

As an example, the gains made in installed solar and wind have largely been eaten up by increased demand for electricity. This will increase as we electrify our automobile sector. We've replaced coal with natural gas, only to realize fugitive methane from fracking is just as bad as coal for the climate.

MichMan

(11,781 posts)
24. What impact does AC have on global warming?
Sat Feb 5, 2022, 11:33 AM
Feb 2022

Removing heat from indoor areas and spewing it outdoors.

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