A Way To Combat Power Outages In Hellish Heatwaves?
Transparency, Participation, Collaboration: Welcome Everyday Democracy
February 1, 2009Tourism Operators – An Opportunity To Expand Your Market
February 3, 2009What can we, as individuals, do to help combat power outages when 40+ heat means people cause supply problems by cranking up air conditioners so transformers and fuses blow? Here is a VERY good idea from a Sustainability Engineer in Victoria’s NE where the mercury has been over 40 degrees ‘for ages’.
We Can Learn To Save Water, Why Not Learn To Conserve Power?
All around Australia people are conscious of saving water…what a pity we can’t do more with all the water our northern regions are receiving…
BUT
We CAN do something to lessen the risk of huge power outages which have made life misery for so many southerners over the past week.
Certainly, air conditioners make life bearable but they don’t NEED to cool to 18 degrees!
We DO take notice of the gridlock signs painted on intersections. We DO collaborate when the logic is clear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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1. WHAT IF every air conditioner used less power by cooling ONLY to 22-24 degrees?
2. WHAT IF the media advised people of restrictions the same way they do for Total Fire Ban days?
3. What IF the government ran a media campaign to introduce and publicise the idea?
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What Happened The Day Heatstricken Melbourne’s Power Failed
The explosion at the SP AusNet power station in South Morang occurred about 3.15pm (AEDT) when a transformer sent shrapnel into the air, sparking several grass fires.
The explosion took out two 500-kilovolt electricity transmission lines operating from South Morang to Keilor and South Morang to Sydenham, a government spokesman said.
The National Electricity Market Management Company (NEMMCO) ordered electricity distributors Citipower and Powercor to cut 1,200 megawatts of power from the market.
The amount was a “significant load to be shed”, Citipower spokesman Ryan Auger told AAP.
Connex staff told thousands of commuters at Flinders Street Railway Station trying to get home at the end of the working week that they would have to find other means of travel because there was no power for trains.
A number of city buildings were evacuated, with the firemen called in to rescue office workers trapped in stalled lifts.
Traffic lights in the city stopped working and signals on the rail network also failed.
The lights went out and poker machines went dead at Crown Casino while American jazz legend Roberta Flack’s concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Victorian Arts Centre was postponed to Sunday.
Electricity distributors were constrained about what action they could take if not enough power was being generated, Mr Auger said.
“We can only supply as much as is made available to us, 1,000 megawatts is a significant outage,” he said.
Areas affected included Melbourne’s CBD and the city’s west as well as places such as Geelong, Ballarat and Kerang.
Power retailer Jemena offered to pay $150 towards the costs of hotels for residential customers who have been without power for 24 hours.
Earlier on Friday, power was cut to one million Melbourne homes for one-hour rotations.
About 16,000 customers of Jemena, Alinta and United Energy, which cover southeastern metropolitan areas and the northwest of Melbourne, were without power.
Any sustainability/communications officers or mainstream media people around?
1 Comment
Other things to do –
1)Lobby the Greens to adopt the policy to put the means of power production back in public hands in the forthcoming pre election campaign. There can be no successful attempts to conserve power while the chief goal of the power companies is to produce maximum profits for share holders – not clean, cheap, sustainable electricity – the two outcomes are incompatible.
2)Lobby govt to legislate for 25 degrees to be the lowest setting on air conditioners.
3) Wear less clothes to work. it is absurd that workers in middle management positions wear suits, long trousers, long skirts and shoes etc. Less clothes means air conditioners don’t have to be turned up so high.
4) Government issue regulations that all public building aircons be set at 25% as an example to the rest of the community.