Study Predicts More Frequent And Severe Blackouts In The Coming Years

Brett Smith redorbit.com A new assessment from a British and New Zealand research team has concluded that the worldwide electrical grid will suffer more frequent and significant outages if current trends continue. In their report, which was published in the Social Space Scientific Journal, the two authors noted that nearly three quarters of American transmission lines are more than 25 years old. “Infrastructural investment across Europe and the USA has been poor, and our power generation systems are more fragile than most people think,” said co-author Steve Matthewman, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. “The vulnerability of our electricity systems is highlighted by one particular blackout which took place in Italy in 2003, when the whole nation was left without power because of two fallen trees. This reality is particularly alarming when you consider the world’s increasing dependency on electricity.” to read more: redorbit.com