Earth Equity News

A Record 103° Pushes Limits Of Con Edison. By Patrick McGeehan, NYTimes, July 8, 2010. “The Northeast faced a fourth day Wednesday of a record-breaking heat wave, after triple-digit temperatures tested power supplies throughout the region... Utilities warned that the length and intensity of this heat wave was testing the limits of their systems. The heat broke several records in the Northeast, as Boston, Providence and Philadelphia all saw triple-digit temperatures Tuesday that eclipsed previous highs… Con Edison officials used automated calls Tuesday night to appeal to customers in New York City to turn off ‘non-essential’ appliances as power consumption reached record levels. The utility had been forced to reduce voltage… and they had asked thousands of customers in those neighborhoods… to turn off electrical appliances until the problems were resolved… But even as Con Edison officials were optimistic that the city would survive the day without widespread power failures, they acknowledged that the intensity and duration of the heat wave could have a cumulative effect on the cables and transformers. In short, they said, the worst may be yet to come.”