Cool NE summer softened demand for electricity
Associated Press Writer
Published: October 5, 2009
BOSTON—New England’s power grid operator says unseasonably cool weather and the economic recession drove electricity consumption down nearly six percent in the summer of 2009.
And while reduced demand helped lower wholesale prices, ISO New England warns that the region’s heavy dependence on fossil fuels to generate electricity leave it vulnerable to future price volatility, as was the case in 2005 after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and again when oil and natural gas prices hit historic highs in 2008.
Holyoke, Mass.-based ISO said Monday that gas and oil-powered plants generate about 40 percent of the electricity in the six-state region, about double the national average.
ISO says diversifying the mix of energy resources will make New England less vulnerable to spikes in oil and natural gas costs.
Reader Reactions
Well, lets see….. Can’t have more nuclear generating facilities, perple are too afraid of an accident, can’t have wind farms, people are against the towers in the sky. No chance for any large hydroelectric plants, no rivers down from higher altitudes—except Niagara Falls, but can’t build bigger over there—it’s a scenic wonder, and the generating facility there is a historic landmark, being the first AC generating plant in the world.
Can’t have solar cell power, it isn’t cost effective enough—yet. If gas and oil are used, too much possibility of price spiking, and if we try to use OUR most abundant natural resource—coal—people are up in arms because of pollution.
That leaves—NOTHING! Good job, people. You want your conveniences, yet you’re unwilling to put up with the shortcomings.
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