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The Independent
11 hours ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Brace for the ‘heat dome'. Temperatures across the Midwest and East Coast will hit dangerous levels this coming week
The first major heat wave of the year is expected to challenge record temperatures across the central and eastern states from the weekend into next week. 'It will be exceptionally warm at night with little relief once the sun goes down," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno warned. "Many urban areas may struggle to drop below 80 at night, and that can take a toll on the body without air conditioning." Sweltering heat was already impacting the West on Thursday and Friday – the longest day of the year – with highs peaking up to 104 degrees around Salt Lake City and Denver. One picture shared by the National Weather Service in Utah captured an infrared thermometer reading on a car's dashboard at 165 degrees. 'NEVER leave children or pets inside a closed car on a hot day like this,' they said. So, what is a heat dome, how does it form, and what should Americans be wary of in the upcoming days? Here's what to know... What is a heat dome? A heat dome occurs when a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere acts as a reservoir that traps heat and humidity, Ricky Castro, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Illinois, said. Warm surface air beneath a heat dome can linger for several days or even weeks, threatening human health. Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related fatalities in the U.S. 'Extreme heat is tragically the leading cause of weather-related fatalities in America,' AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said. 'There is an amplified risk of heat-related illnesses because this is the first heat wave of the year for millions of people, and their bodies are not yet acclimated to this type of heat and humidity.' How do they form? Heat domes are typically linked to the behavior of the jet stream which, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explains, is a band of fast winds high in the atmosphere that move in meandering wavelike patterns. When the jet stream shifts northward, it moves slower and sinks. That allows for lower humdity and for the sun to create progressively hotter conditions on the ground. However, air descending down mountains can also contribute to heat domes, as it warms even more. Over cities, it is often warmer because pavement, buildings, and other types of hard surfaces tend to absorb and retain more heat. 'There may be more danger than a typical heat event, due to the longevity of near-record or record high nighttime lows and elevated heat index readings,' the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center said. Who will it impact this time? Last summer, a heat dome 'broiled' the Northeast and Midwest. This summer, it's coming for big cities in the central U.S. and along the East Coast, along with horrible humidity that makes being outside even riskier. AccuWeather expects that Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., will experience at least one week with highs at or above 90 degrees. To the north, the Big Apple will also see multiple days of highs in the 90s, and areas around Manhattan will have temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. Heading west, Chicagoans are bracing for three to five days of highs in the 90s, marking the 'most intense heat wave Chicago has experienced in the last few years.' Temperatures in Kansas City, Missouri, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, and Nashville will also leap above 90 degrees for multiple days. To the Southeast, Atlanta and Charlotte are forecast to see temperatures between five and 15 degrees above the historical average. So, how long will it last? Temperatures are expected to dip a bit by mid-week and into the weekend, according to Fox Weather. Still, this is only the start of the summer season. Human-caused climate change is making heat waves more frequent and severe. Last year was the hottest year on record, and the first heat advisory was issued in Alaska last week. This will be the first stretch of true summertime weather for many in the eastern U.S. 'A lot of those folks have been saying, where's summer? Well, buckle up, because it's coming,' AccuWeather's Tom Kines said.
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Google brings AI to grid teams slashing US connection times
May 20 - In April, U.S. power grid operator PJM announced it will deploy Google and Tapestry AI-enhanced tools to accelerate the approval of grid connection requests. PJM operates the largest American power network mostly across eastern states and its partnership with Google is the latest implementation of advanced software by grid operators to improve and speed up connections, data sharing and project management. Google and other power Big Tech groups are major buyers of power and seek faster development of new generation to meet soaring demand from data centers and other computing facilities. Regional Transmission Organisations (RTOs) and Independent System Operators (ISOs) have been inundated with a large number of clean power applications, leading to long delays for project developers. The average length of grid connection studies was 40 months between 2018 and 2022, not including the Texas ERCOT grid, according to a report by Grid Strategies and The Brattle Group in February 2024. Delays differ between markets and ERCOT has independent regulatory status and a more efficient approach. There was 2,600 GW in U.S. grid connection queues at the end of 2023, 95% of it solar, wind and battery storage, according to Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). This is more than double the total installed generation capacity of 1,280 GW, although not all projects will be completed. Longer timelines impact the speed at which new resources can be brought online, add to costs and contribute to project cancellations, Caitlin Marquis, Managing Director of industry group Advanced Energy United, told Reuters Events. "We find that [connection] costs are rising, that renewable energy projects see significantly higher costs to connect to the grid than fossil fuel projects, and that costs vary widely," Berkeley Lab said in a report in January 2025. "This unpredictability increases the uncertainty and financial risk of renewable development." CHART: US average grid connection costs PJM has already been adopting automation tools to help clear a huge backlog of clean power applications which saw many projects spending more than five years in the connection queue, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Automation has allowed PJM to process about 140 GW out of 200 GW in its queue since 2023, with the remaining 60 GW due for completion by 2026, a PJM spokesperson told Reuters Events. From spring 2026, PJM aims to complete grid connection approvals within one to two years based on impact. Faster connections Inundated with clean power applications, PJM paused all new applications in 2023 and implemented a process to approve projects on a 'first ready, first served' basis, following new rules implemented by the FERC. Previously, projects were addressed on a first come, first served system but this led to vast numbers of speculative projects that were less developed which clogged up grid connection queues. Join hundreds of senior executives across energy, industry and finance at Reuters Events Global Energy Transition 2025. Of the 140 GW projects cleared from the queue since 2023, PJM has signed grid connection agreements with 18 GW and another 63 GW is progressing towards signing agreements over the next two years, although not all of those are guaranteed to proceed, the PJM spokesperson told Reuters Events. From 2026, PJM will require project applications to hit milestones and provide deposits, to reduce speculative applications. CHART: Power generation in grid connection queues at end of 2023 Midwest grid operator MISO and the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) are also using the latest digital technology to slash grid connection times. For several years MISO has used an online submission tool to process grid connection requests and the operator is rolling out a new software tool that will automate and accelerate connection studies. Developed by Pearl Street Technologies, the software tool is "expected to perform the pre-queue and phase 1 studies faster and more efficiently than our existing process which includes file setup and human review," a MISO spokesperson said. In a benchmarking analysis on a $13 billion network upgrade by MISO, the tool completed the Phase 1 study process in just ten days, in comparison with the 686 days using the old system. MISO is now working towards achieving a one-year connection approval process. For exclusive insights on the energy transition, sign up to our newsletter. SPP uses both external and in-house grid connection software 'to find value-add solutions that provide short and long-term advantages in our engineering studies and data management," Derek Wingfield, SPP communications manager told Reuters Events. SPP is also using Pearl Street's software and is also working with Grid Unity, a software company which specialises in grid connection management. Digital technology has enabled SPP to squeeze 'seven years of backlogged [grid connection] requests into three, while also adding two of the three largest clusters on record into the timeframe," Wingfield said. SPP uses an annual portfolio of grid connection agreements to optimise transition planning. Currently, developers are informed of the grid connection costs following completion of studies, but SPP plans to move to a fixed amount upfront charge per megawatt. 'We anticipate this new approach would be a major win for developers to aid their planning during the interconnection process," an SPP spokesperson said. AI future Going forward, grid connection times can be lowered further provided companies are willing to invest and increase data transparency. Many organisations continue to lack internal software engineering expertise or are unwilling to make the upfront financial investment in software programs, Marquis noted. AI can play a pivotal role in accelerating grid connections and increasing the efficiency of grid networks, Ruth Porat, President & Chief Investment Officer, Alphabet and Google, said in a blog post in April. "We are bringing together the power of Alphabet, including Tapestry, Google Cloud and Google DeepMind, to build and deliver a set of collaborative AI tools that will enable PJM to make faster decisions with greater confidence," Porat said. "Creative solutions from across the private and public sectors are crucial to ensure the U.S. has the energy capacity, affordability and reliability needed to capitalize on the opportunity for growth."
