Michigan Could Experience Rolling Blackouts This Summer

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Electrical-grid operators are warning Michiganders that rolling blackouts could be needed this summer, according to FOX News. A hurried switch to renewable energy sources is at the forefront of the issue.

The Midcontinent Independent System Operators (MISO) said an unusually hot summer predicted for Michigan will stress the grid. The MISO seasonal assessment found “capacity shortfalls in both the north and central regions of MISO… leaving those areas at increased risk of temporary, controlled outages to preserve the integrity of the bulk electric system,” JT Smith, MISO executive director, told NPR.

But the hot weather in Michigan isn't the only reason for potential rolling blackouts, according to Joe Trotter, the Energy, Environment, and Agriculture Task Force director for the American Legislative Exchange Council. He said that too many traditional power plants are being shut down with grid operators attempting to switch over to renewable sources of energy.

“Our leaders need to be real cognizant of the day-to-day impact,” he said. “It’s great to look at the future, but the present has a huge impact on their constituencies.”

“There’s this focus on a much more long-term solution to replace [coal plants] with renewables,” he added, but argued that those solutions are “years or decades away from being able to replace the coal.”


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