On June 27th, 2021 Portland General Electric said 2,574 customers in Clackamas County, 1,291 customers in Multnomah County, 605 customers in Washington County and 765 customers in Yamhill County were without power due to extreme heat-related outages in the Pacific Northwest.
Portland broke its all-time record-high temperature Sunday when it reached 109 degrees shortly before 2 p.m. It also broke the record Saturday when it reached 108 degrees. The previous record was 107 degrees, which was last recorded in August 1981. The utility company said it expected the hot weather would put a strain on the power grid as people work to stay cool. They said the increased energy caused by people using air conditioning units can strain the electrical system, and have asked people to conserve energy in their homes to preserve the grid.
This energy crisis mirrors the grid failure crisis in Texas, and exemplifies how the slow disaster of climate change (and its effects such as extreme weather) exposes inadequacies of energy systems in the United States, with grid infrastructure that is unable to support more intensive energy demands. This inadequacy thrusts households into energy crises, when grid failures lead to mass power outages in the midst of extreme weather events.
KOIN 6 News, "Thousands without power during record-breaking heat", contributed by Morgan Sarao, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 29 June 2021, accessed 19 April 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/thousands-without-power-during-record-breaking-heat
Critical Commentary
On June 27th, 2021 Portland General Electric said 2,574 customers in Clackamas County, 1,291 customers in Multnomah County, 605 customers in Washington County and 765 customers in Yamhill County were without power due to extreme heat-related outages in the Pacific Northwest.
Portland broke its all-time record-high temperature Sunday when it reached 109 degrees shortly before 2 p.m. It also broke the record Saturday when it reached 108 degrees. The previous record was 107 degrees, which was last recorded in August 1981. The utility company said it expected the hot weather would put a strain on the power grid as people work to stay cool. They said the increased energy caused by people using air conditioning units can strain the electrical system, and have asked people to conserve energy in their homes to preserve the grid.
This energy crisis mirrors the grid failure crisis in Texas, and exemplifies how the slow disaster of climate change (and its effects such as extreme weather) exposes inadequacies of energy systems in the United States, with grid infrastructure that is unable to support more intensive energy demands. This inadequacy thrusts households into energy crises, when grid failures lead to mass power outages in the midst of extreme weather events.