In the years before the United States’ aging network of electrical grids began heaving under the pressure of record-breaking storms and heat waves, demand for transformers — the connective tissue of the power system — kept pace with the construction of new housing.
As snow showers fall, linemen from Chain Electric, a contract utility crew that drove in from Mississippi to help Consolidated Edison, install a new transformer November 7, 2012, to help restore electric power that has been out since Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, in the community of Oakwood Beach, on Staten Island, New York.
But the new standards still ratchet up efficiency of new transformers by enough to shave what the Energy Department estimated would be $14 billion off utility bills over the next 30 years, slashing nearly 85 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution ― equal to the annual emissions of 11 million American homes ― during that same period.The agency estimated the original proposal would have avoided 340 million metric tons of carbon pollution.
Electric power lines are attached to the transmission tower along the power grid on Sept. 28, 2023, in the Everglades, Florida.But the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association said the tiny nonprofit power companies it represents, which serve nearly 42 million Americans living far from major cities, faced problems replacing transformers, particularly when competing for equipment with deep-pocketed corporate utilities for equipment in short supply.
“ERMCO does believe backing away from the original standards was positive and we appreciate the added time for implementation,” Tim Mills, ERMCO’s chief executive, said in an email. “We should know shortly whether or not the movement made keeps our confidence high on being able to provide transformers at or above our current level of production.
Along with Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s two Democratic senators, Bob Casey and John Fetterman, offered praise in quotes the agency sent out to reporters on Thursday morning. No Republicans were included in the announcement.
Source: Energy Industry News (energyindustrynews.net)
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