Episode 13 - "Lights Out"

What do airports, water treatment facilities, gas stations, and espresso machines all have in common? A dependence on a reliable and stable network of power generation and distribution. In America, and around the world, our electrical grids are aged, stressed, and increasingly at risk of attack. Worse, the centralization and increased interdependence of these grids mean the risk for large-scale failure has never been greater.

If we don't act quickly, the next time the lights go out, they may not turn on again.

Chapters

• 00:00 Preshow
• 00:45 What is the Grid?
• 01:58 Some History
• 03:53 The Grid Today
• 05:27 Foliage
• 07:45 Renewable: Difficulties
• 09:40 Renewables: Subsidies
• 12:06 Energy Storage
• 14:37 Transformers: Ageing
• 16:25 Transformers: Raw Materials
• 17:19 Transformers: Lead Time
• 19:53 Critical Substations
• 21:04 Physical Threats
• 21:29 Physical Threats: Liberty
• 22:54 Physical Threats: Metcalf
• 27:33 Transformers: Spares in Reserves?
• 29:47 Cyber Threats
• 31:42 Ukraine Cyber Attack
• 35:09 Incentives for a Cyber Attack
• 38:21 How Will War Begin?
• 39:56 What happens when the Lights go Off?
• 42:15 Electromagnetic Pulse
• 43:06 Solar Threat
• 44:04 Carington Event
• 46:28 1989 Geomagnetic Storm
• 48:04 Bureaucracy
• 48:29 What Can we Do?
• 55:21 Wrap up

A full transcript is available as well as detailed links and sources (plus credits and more) on our website ashesashes.org.

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