Avoiding blackouts as demand for electricity grows
Tuesday, November 4, 2014 - 09:00
in Mathematics & Economics
It is impossible to imagine the modern world without electricity. We are dependent on an uninterrupted source of power and when it fails the consequences are devastating. Over the past decade there have been 50 significant power-outage events occurring in 26 countries, and the demand for electricity continues to grow stronger with rapid population growth, compact urban areas and an 'addiction' to electric appliances. In their article "Exergy and the City: The Technology and Sociology of Power (Failure)", Hugh Byrd and Steve Matthewman predict that these blackouts are only a dress rehearsal for a future in which they will appear more frequently and with greater severity.