Rome’s grid sizzles under Cerberus

The heat wave that’s been sweeping across the European continent, dubbed Cerberus after the Greek mythological creature, has caused power outages on parts of the Italian capital city’s electricity grid.

This is according to AP reportage, which states that heavy demand coming from air conditioners caused outages.

The heat wave has the potential of going on to break some national records, states the World Meteorological organisation, with Italy’s national meteorological service issuing red alerts for extreme heat in southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia, with temperatures well above 40°C (102°F).

And according to Al Jazeerah’s reporting, Europe could record its hottest-ever temperature this week on the Italian islands where a high of 48°C (118°F) is predicted.

A study, Energy and Buildings, suggests that heat waves can have catastrophic effects on energy systems, causing grid outages or failures, infrastructure damage and significant increases in electricity consumption from demand for cooling.

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A growing body of studies, states the research, indicates that heat waves have been increasing in intensity, duration and frequency globally.

This can be seen in the US, where the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has reported a new all-time peak record for electricity demand on the grid of 81,406MW with their supply and demand dashboard showing the possibility of a new peak to come.

The new peak was announced alongside forecasted higher temperatures, higher coming electricity demand and a potential for lower electricity reserves as the US too continues to experience extreme highs in temperature.

According to an illustrative map published by PGE (Pacific Gas and Electric), sustained electric demand during heat storms may not allow transformers time to cool down properly overnight, causing them to overheat and damage equipment.

Overloaded electrical equipment, they state, can cause power outages, which occur when circuit breakers or other protective equipment shut off the flow of power to prevent further damage to the electrical system.