Hot weather and power outages continue

Mon Jul 24 16:44:59 UTC 2006

There are a few tens of thousand families at this time around the country who
wouldn't see any humor in this. Local to me, the problems that began eight days
ago in Queens NY persist to this day, and the best ETAs now being given by the
City and Con Ed is at least two more days. But that's what was projected last
Friday, or three days ago. 

Some lawmakers in the affected districts are calling for the resignation of Con
Ed's CEO, while some blackout victims are calling for his imprisonment.

http://tinyurl.com/oge8n

The article doesn't go far enough to inform the reader that many of the
"restored" residential and small business units that are holding their own (as
opposed to sputtering out within two hours, like many that were placed back onto
the grid) are being fed by a slew of portable truck-mounted generators that are
tied directly into the local low-voltage feeder networks going to customer
locations.  

A report on CNN (IIRC) earlier today focused on a range of "hot-spots" around the
country, from Beverly Hills to St. Louis to New England, noting that for the most
part the electric power problems that are being encountered (as roads and rails
buckle from the heat) do NOT point to supply as much as they do to the inability
of distribution networks in the last mile to withstand the increased loads being
caused by mounting demand from air conditioning (and while no other application
was mentioned at that point, you've got to know what other drains on power went
through my mind).  

As a society we've already taken ample note of the aging (in many instances,
crumbling) infrastructure, ranging from sewer systems, roads and rails, water
tunnels, bridges and so on that are still working decades beyond their time. Has
anyone given serious focus to the underspaces and overheads that house the
nation's last mile electrical distribution systems, in toto? If so, what does it
say about Queens' ability to handle summer loads? 

Frank 

On Mon, 24 Jul 2006, Richard A Steenbergen wrote:
>
> Come on Sean, this "very few disruptions" stuff is below your usual
> standards. The least you can do to help us pass the time in this damn heat
> is to recount a few good stories about routers you could scramble eggs on.
> :)

there is a funny story of some dial devices on fire, and still passing
packets...
)

Frank A. Coluccio
DTI Consulting Inc.
212-587-8150 Office
347-526-6788 Mobile