News Headline (The More You Know):The electric grid experiences a lot of stress in hot weather due to the use of electrical equipment such as air conditioners at specific times -- hot days. Also because the grid doesn't generally have enough control over how power is used in many of such instances -- so it short circuits.
The power grid has to carry power from power plants to its destination through transmission lines. These are wires have limited capacities that go down when temperatures increase tremendously. When a transmission line is carrying a lot of power, it heats up. The metal conductor in the line expands, causing the line to droop. If the line droops too much, it makes contact with foliage on the ground, resulting in a short circuit and an end to that line’s ability to carry power.
This scenario forces other lines to pick up the slack, and if enough other lines become overloaded and fail from heat, voltages can no longer operate at proper levels. At best, that makes our lights dim and slow down air conditioners and other appliances, which degrades their motors and shortens their life spans. At worst, the power grid comes down and black-outs ensue. The more you know!!
Story source: LewisU
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