Reason for US Power Grid FailureĪ wide variety of events can cause disruption of the electrical grid. The operation and maintenance of power infrastructure is an extremely capital-heavy industry and just like any other capital-heavy industry, its consolidation would unlock a number of efficiencies – including a $47.2 billion a year savings on utility bills. While all the systems run at an average frequency of 60Hz, they are not in sync with one another and therefore cannot be directly connected. Electric Reliability Council of Texas ( (ERCOT) GridĮRCOT covers most of the territory of Texas.

The Western Interconnection or Grid comprises the area west of the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains to the Pacific coast. The Eastern Interconnection or Grid comprises the largest area of the country, from the Great Plains territory (excluding most of Texas) eastward to the Atlantic coast. The Eastern grid and the Western grid mimick the division along the Rocky Mountains (‘The Rockies’) while the state of Texas has its own electric grid. They operate independently of each other and exchange very little energy. There are three separate energy networks in the country’s power grid system, split into three regions. The United States does not actually have a national energy grid. If a fault occurs on the network and the power goes out, you should contact your local utility company to come to fix it as soon as possible. This process is run by the state utility providers, who own and operate the country’s electricity system.

Finally, electricity arrives at the poles that reduce it to a safe smaller amount that can be delivered to your home. Once it reaches the residential neighborhood, another transformer reduces the voltage to move the energy through smaller, lower voltage lines. When electricity is generated by one of the 30,000 energy power plants around the country, the connected transformers crank up the voltage so the electricity can travel long distances through the high-voltage transmission network.

North american power grid