Archive for category: General Information

Wind plant performance—how much electricity a wind plant generates compared with its maximum possible generation—depends almost entirely on the availability of wind resources, which vary depending on both the time of year and the geographic region.

The performance of a power plant is often characterized as a percentage of the maximum possible generation in a given time period, a metric known as capacity factor. Nationally, between January 2016 and August 2022, wind plant capacity factors peaked in March and April and were at their lowest in July and August.

The American Public Power Association “is beyond disappointed that funding to ramp up production of distribution transformers through the Defense Production Act” has not been included in the Dec. 19, omnibus appropriations bill, Joy Ditto, President and CEO of APPA, said on Dec. 20.

“This is a critical issue that several industries have raised, and on which the President has called for action. Despite our collective pleas over the past year to address this issue, supplies continue to dwindle, demand far outpaces production, and if action is not taken in the near term, the U.S. will face electric reliability concerns,” she said.

Tens of thousands of residents in rural North Carolina could be without electricity for days after gunfire seriously damaged two power substations.

The Saturday attack on the substations — located in Moore County, about 90 miles east of Charlotte — “wasn’t random,” said Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields. Someone drove up and “opened fire on the substation, the same thing with the other one,” Fields told reporters.

About 45,000 households and businesses remained without electricity Sunday, as temperatures were forecast to drop below freezing. The county declared a state of emergency, setting a curfew Sunday night and closing schools Monday. 

Joni Shadonix is celebrating her 25th anniversary with KMEA this month. She is also ending her career. Joni will be retiring on December 31st.

As temperatures on the West Coast soared into the triple digits in early September, power demand threatened to reach record levels — and utilities braced for grid problems.

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) warned of potential blackouts. Idaho Power Co., already hobbled by a pair of generator outages, prepared to cut power to some customers in Boise. Utilities in the desert Southwest expected surging demand to strain their grids.

But no major blackouts occurred during the multiday heat wave. The Pacific Northwest sent much-needed power to California, which in turn was able to send electricity to Boise. And desert states didn’t see dire conditions, allowing them to send power to California.