[Islam-Online- Science, Ideas & Technology]

The city that never sleeps-During the summer months, blackouts
brought the nightlife of New York City and Chicago to a screeching
halt. Currently, research is being conducted in order to avoid
electrical problems like these.

President and CEO of EPRI, Kurt Yeager, discussed key findings to what he believes is a serious issue in the reliability of America's power grid. The report entails America's declining ability to deliver reliable power. The source of this problem seems to be stemming from the combination of an outdated power delivery grid and an escalating demand for electricity.

At the same time, the needed technology to improve the situation is currently sitting in commercial deployment due to a lack of financial incentives and R & D. Unless this issue is addressed soon, the electric infrastructure will be seriously challenged to keep up with the growing demands of today's society. The technology advancements are vital to success in this matter, so that America can avoid the blackouts that brought New York and Chicago to a standstill during the summer months. As one could deduce, this poses a serious threat to the safety of people, the environment and an even bigger threat to the US economy.

The nation's power delivery system is the focus of the risk. It consists of lines that carry high levels of voltage across vast distances and lower level voltage lines that serve homes and businesses. In the past, power trading was regulated, bringing about a more organized and efficient system of transactions. However, reforms have brought about a frenzied pace at buying and selling electricity over long distances. Specifically, an increase in wholesale power trading is in demand, thus causing this problem. Said Yeager, "The 50 year old grid was simply never designed to handle the volume and frequency of power trades that we're seeing today." Yeager further said that, "This trend is only expected to increase as competition becomes more widely adopted."

Experts say that the solution is to create new ways to improve both power capacity and control. Increased technology is being created on these fronts, with devices being constructed that are capable of handling up to triple the capacity of today's lines. Yeager believes that these advancements are a step in the right direction, but that, "An intensified research, development and demonstration effort is needed if we are to bring these technologies to market and continue to satisfy the changing appetites for power quantity and quality in a digital economy."

Another aspect of this problem is the fact that our society has a growing dependence on electronic end-use devices that could easily be affected by disruptions in power. Regular household devices may not be affected as seriously by this, but computers could crash and major manufacturing outlets or financial centers could be brought to a screeching halt. With a current annual bill of over $50 billion, the US economy can ill afford to allow a risk like this to become a reality.

With the growing interdependence of the communication, finance, trade, and transportation industries, it is becoming harder for specialists to regulate the amount of electricity be used by these respective branches of business. These industries would be most affected by a blackout in the aspect of the sensitive electrical devices they use to run their operations. "The urgent resolution of these demands for precision power is essential to national productivity and prosperity in the face of global competition, and what will be the growing social needs of our nation's aging population," says Yeager.

The ever-growing population in America brings about a greater demand for energy. More electricity is expected to be in demand in this society. With the advances in technology, combined with the use of these devices to rune businesses and industries, one can expect that there will be a very serious problem if this situation is not dealt with.

Although research and development in electricity has vastly increased in the past 50 years, there are many other opportunities for electricity to serve this society. For example, on area that could be used as a source of electricity is solar energy. As well, Yeager believes that with devices created to revolutionize the efficiency of manufacturing and operations. The main problem continues to be funding for the research that could make these ideas a reality. Only time will tell if people who have the resources will make greater strides to assist in this effort. Increased technology is needed and the only way research and development can take place is if more people get involved financially. "Our nation's future stability and prosperity are seriously threatened by the shrinking support for energy research and development at a time when previous research is reaping huge returns," said Yeager.

With the threat of Y2K looming over our heads, the last thing that Americans need is to be confronted with this problem. Efforts are being made to rectify the situation, but more people have to take this situation seriously in order to avoid a great catastrophe.

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