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Grid Vulnerabilities

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Sandy Lawrence's picture
retired MD, I write and lecture on energy, climate, grid, and epidemiology

I post almost daily on science topics, dealing with energy systems, the climate system, the electric grid and epidemiology. Background is in academic medicine, but I have also been teaching in...

  • Member since 2021
  • 35 items added with 5,208 views
  • Feb 27, 2023
  • 208 views

OilPrice.com: "Attacks on the U.S. power grid are surging" Apparently a confidential analysis of the electric industry, reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, reports attacks on the U.S. power grid rose 71% in 2022. The Department of Homeland Security warns the grid is a particularly attractive target, + that this threat will be ongoing. Attacks involving intrusion, vandalism or gunfire are more + more problematic, with notable attacks in the Southeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest. The intention is apparently societal disruption. "In one of the most notorious recent attacks, a North Carolina power grid was vandalized in December, leaving some 45,000 people in Moore County without power after two substations of Duke Energy were attacked by gunfire." The perpetrators have not been identified + the motive remains unclear. Another attack was carried out earlier this month, after which "federal authorities arrested and charged a neo-Nazi man and a woman from Maryland for plotting to attack Baltimore-area electrical substations." The motive in this event was reportedly racist, as Brandon Clint Russell, 27, and Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 34, characterized Baltimore as predominantly Black + hoped to spark racial strife. Establishing microgrids which are 'islandable' + can be independent of the larger grid during an outage will enhance resilience for all of us. Having home + business energy storage with batteries will likewise make all of us more secure against these sorts of attacks. Photo credit: Sturmovik at en.wikipedia     #electricgrid    #sabotage

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Jim Stack's picture
Jim Stack on Feb 27, 2023

Safety and security is getting harder each day. There seems to be so much unrest recently. To me it seems to be from the huge layoffs so many people are out of work. People need good jobs and a stable housing and food source. There is just too much unrest. 

Sandy Lawrence's picture
Sandy Lawrence on Feb 27, 2023

I certainly get the sense that federal intelligence agencies feel the majority of these attacks come from disaffected people on the right, who are feeling disenfranchised and not valued as citizens, worried about the influx of people from other nations. In truth, immigration has always been a strength of this country, many people arriving have established businesses, attending schools and otherwise made themselves useful members of society. At the same time we need to have secure borders as does any nation. But I would suggest offering support to countries such as Guatemala and El Savador, so that the pressure of illegal immigration can ameliorated. I would couple that with a road to citizenship for the Dreamers.

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Thank Sandy for the Post!
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