Warnings by Washington electric utilities like Avista and Puget Sound Energy last weekend during a bitter cold snap with frigid Arctic air seeping in from Canada prompted warnings to power customers to cut back on their power for light and heat.
We are asking customers to conserve natural gas and electricity use through the evening hours. Due to the extreme cold temperatures facing our area, regional utilities are experiencing higher energy use than forecasted, and we need to reduce strain on the grid. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/ngR4kzttl8
— Puget Sound Energy (@PSETalk) January 14, 2024
Those warnings caught the attention of a lot of people in Washington who have heard the repeated calls of elected politicians who are demanding a wholesale switch from natural gas, coal power and even hydro-electric power to renewable power like solar and wind power.
“This is reality”, says University of Washington Atmospheric Sciences Professor, Cliff Mass, to KVI about the vulnerability of solely relying on renewable energy sources.
Mass spoke to KVI host, John Carlson, about the reliance on wind and solar power in Washington winters. Listen to the entire interview by clicking the play button below this line.
Mass says, “We’re not great in solar (energy) here in the Northwest any time of the year but during the winter its very minimal. Solar is not on the table for our winter-time energy. And unfortunately, wind (power) fails exactly when we need it the most (in winter). I mean, I’m not saying no wind energy and no solar energy, I’m not saying that. But I’m saying that you have to be realistic about what it (renewable energy) can do. ”
To read Professor Mass’s recent blog post about these concerns over renewable energy power in winter, click here.
