Volume 17 • April 2001

Electricity Crisis Catches Attention of Americans Rolling Blackouts Hit

ur dependence on electricity food, tracks inventories, speeds order fill in O is pervasive and almost restaurants and warehouses. totally complete. Relatively few Americans “take a pass” on its convenience. We use Electricity awakens us, entertains and it from morning until night and informs us, makes our coffee, cooks our food often depend upon it even during (unless we use increasingly expensive natural our sleeping hours. Yet, we take gas), dries our hair, washes our dishes. It lights electricity for granted and don’t our garage, opens the garage door, regulates appreciate it until it is missing. traffic flow (for convenience and safety), hoists A mixture of appreciation and us to the top of tall buildings, cools our work- apprehension has welled up in the space, connects us to the internet, downloads minds of thousands of music and data files, copies our documents, Californians who have missed prints our newspapers and magazines, and their electricity lately, even if for captures digital images. only an hour at a time. The magical rush of electrons powers Californian’s are appreciative medical equipment for diagnosis, surgery and when the electrons flow. And, they ongoing treatment. It protects our homes are apprehensive about when the flow may stop Politicians and pundits, individual citizens against intruders and informs us of danger. It again. They disdain inconvenience, fear danger, and interest groups have all voiced opinions and connects us to friends and business associates, worry about business disruption, and dread eco- taken positions on what got California into the records their messages, orders products, nomic consequences of electrical shortages electricity crisis it faces. Opinions differ. Some manufactures clothing, processes and preserves people allege a conspiracy among energy suppliers. Some take a position which almost makes it seem that access to electricity is a “right” or a public service that should be pro- Here are some comments from a Workshops Provide vided by power companies without regard to recent survey of changing costs for generation and distribution. the teachers who “This was an Media outlets report rolling blackouts, urgent excellent Knowledge and Tools attended work- calls for energy conservation, and complicated shops in 2000: workshop....” ach year, ANS conducts, sponsors or supports legislative efforts to resolve the crisis. We all “Your workshop was Emany teacher workshops, providing information wonder, “Can this crisis happen in my state?” great....The thoroughness about nuclear science and technology and its What Happened in California? and scientific depth was impact on our lives. Last year, more than 1,000 teachers attended impressive. It should one of the 40 ANS workshops and received a surplus civil Many factors converged to produce this cri- really help new science defense Geiger counter for their classroom. sis. Here is some background. teachers.” Many teachers have attended the 90-minute introductory ses- Partly because of very stringent restrictions sions (Detecting Radiation in Our Radioactive World) that ANS on the construction of new generating plants, “Thank you for conducts at NSTA regional meetings each year. Others have there were no significant additions to generating your efforts!” benefitted from full-day (6-hour) workshops conducted by ANS capacity in the state in over a decade. Yet, members. At these full-day events, more information is covered California’s population and demand for “I go to a number of in greater depth and there is time for more hands-on activities. electricity continued to grow. Current demand science-related Visit the ANS web site www.ans.org for more information. The for electricity in California is greater than the workshops each workshop schedule is posted at www.ans.org/pi/teachers/ available supply. Electricity available for year. This one was workshops/schedule.cgi. If a workshop isn’t listed in your area, the best I’ve been to check again in a few weeks! The schedule is updated periodically. n in recent memory.” Continued page 2 2

Rolling Blackout… continued from page 1. purchase from neighboring states is, at times, was thought that outside companies would be , 1999 insufficient to “make up” for California’s interested in selling power on a “wholesale” Energy Source shortfall in supply. An aging basis to the “retail” power providers. may complicate the process of transferring Under the deregulation plan, rates electricity long distances in the state. In charged to consumers were “fixed” or lim- addition, there is limited transmission capacity ited. But there was no limit on what util- between California and points East of the ities would have to pay for the electricity Rocky Mountains. they bought on the wholesale mar- What about Deregulation? ket. Utilities were forced to purchase power on a daily “spot” market; the California instituted a deregulation plan in plan did not allow any long-term 1996. The plan required investor-owned contracts between electrical electrical utility companies to divest of much of “retailers” and the “wholesalers” their generating capacity and to sell the power who generated the power. they generated with their remaining facilities through the California Power Exchange. Any Other Factors? power that utilities needed for distribution to A significant portion of the retail customers would be purchased through generating capacity in the California Power Exchange. California consists of older The theory was that this plan would increase plants. These plants require competition and reduce prices for electricity. It maintenance which leads For Additional Information http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/st_profiles/toc.html State electricity profiles from Energy Information Administration, the independent statistical and analyti- Data source: cal agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. Contains state-by-state profiles and national rankings. Energy Information Administration http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epav1/intro.html The “Introduction” to Annual (1999) includes a map with summary information on to periodic and sometimes unexpected the status of electricity deregulation. “downtime.” This had the effect of reducing http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epav1/state.html available supply. Detailed information the status of deregulation of electricity in all states. Increasing demand and limited supply raised http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/restructure.html wholesale “spot” prices dramatically. Major Information on restructuring (a list of resources). investor-owned utilities like Pacific Gas and http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epav1/elecprod.html Electric (PG&E) and Southern California This section from the Electric Power Annual (1999) provides summary information about electricity Edison (SCE) were forced to keep supplying production in the U.S., including “Net Generation by Energy Source.” electricity to consumers. But, they weren’t able ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/pdf/international/0484(2001).pdf to pass along the increased costs. They were International Energy Outlook paying more for the electricity than they could http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/california/california.html charge. As a result, they piled up huge debts Information on the California Electricity Situation, provided by Energy Information Administration of DOE. and teetered near bankruptcy. Http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/index.html#preface California’s situation led to a variety of emergency actions by state officials. Efforts to Annual Energy Outlook (2001 with projections to 2020) as prepared by Energy Information solve the problem are ongoing. Administration of DOE (page contains the preface, with access to other portions of the report). Meanwhile, some smaller generating http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/fact_sheets/supply&demand.html companies, because they aren’t being paid, Information about supply and demand for electricity; shows capacity margin and offers links to other have stopped generating power. This exacerbat- documents. ed the power shortage. Then, in mid-March, http://www.naruc.org/Stateweb.htm rising temperatures increased demand for elec- A list of web sites for state public utility commissions, provided by National Association of tricity to run air conditioners. In order to avoid Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) on their web site. “crashing” the entire electrical grid, the http://www.energy.ca.gov/index.html Independent System Operator (ISO) ordered Homepage of the California Energy Commission utilities to cut power usage. Rolling blackouts http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/index.html followed — for the second time in 2001. This Consumer Energy Center from California Energy Commission round of blackouts affected southern California, http://www.energy.ca.gov/education/index.html which had been spared in earlier blackouts. As a Energy Education information from California Energy Commission result, thousands more people began to take the http://www.energy.ca.gov/reports/2000-07-14_200-00-002.PDF Report from California Energy Commission on Energy Demand 2000-2010 n Continued page 3 Nuclear Sciences 3

Rolling Blackout… Project 64 – Activity electricity shortage seriously. People in some remote areas of the world are The Electricity Crisis...Can It Happen Here? accustomed to having electricity for only an An Activity for Research and Classroom Discussion hour or two of the day — if at all. Californians affected by the blackouts have had difficulty ould the California situation happen in your state? Answering that question demands gather- dealing with just an hour without electricity. Cing information about many things. In the process, you’ll become better-informed. And, in all probability, most of us would have Supply vs. demand difficulty in the same circumstances. What is the average demand for electricity here? Yet, despite our nation’s dependence upon What is the ? electrical energy — and other energy sources, During what times of day and what times of year is demand highest? for that matter — America lacks a coherent What is the amount of generating capacity in my state? energy policy. And, while there have been calls Can it meet peak demand? for such a policy, there has been little political Is my state an energy importer or exporter? will to develop one. The California crisis seems What is the projected need for energy in the years ahead? What time frame? to be changing that. Is more generating capacity needed? Is it being built? Why or why not? You and your students will probably see and Energy mix for electrical generation hear more about that process in the months What are the percentages of electricity generated using: nuclear, , hydro, oil, , ahead. America is, perhaps, more energy other sources (solar, wind, etc) conscious now that it has been at any time What impact will this mix have on electricity costs and availability? since the oil crisis of the 70’s. In this issue, (consider price trends, market volatility, other demand for the energy source, we’ve included a special activity to help you generation costs using various energy sources, etc.) and your students explore this issue and how it applies to your own state. Continued next page (See activity at right.) n

Careers Nuclear Science and Technology: Career Opportunities for Non-Scientists Additional Photos any of the progress in scientific research could be delayed Mnews stories or prevented. reported in In our January issue (full-color and posted on REACTIONS refer to our website at www.ans.org/pi/teachers/reactions/) physicists, nuclear we gave readers information about exciting new engineers, chemists, research into the nature of matter. That research biologists and people in is being done at the Relativistic Heavy Ion other scientific fields. Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Lab. But, not everyone who The services of highly skilled tradespeople contributes to or utilizes were required to build the complex equipment. nuclear science and These people have extensive experience and technology is a univer- skill in metal working, electronics, and other sity-trained scientist. areas. Without them, RHIC couldn’t have been Nuclear science and constructed as quickly and efficiently. technology fields, Students who want to contribute to scientific like other scientific disciplines but prefer a less intensely academic disciplines, require training or those who like hands-on or manual the services of work might be encouraged to explore skilled non-scientists. In fact, trade options. Opportunities exist for electronics without the highly technicians, metal workers, plumbers, and many developed skills of other specialists. n these non-scientists, Chris Cleary of the Central Shops Division at Brookhaven National Laboratory makes measurements on a snake magnet coil form. Each coil form is made from an aluminum tube with grooves machined into it in a spiral fashion. After additional parts and insulation are installed, the coil forms are incorporated into helical magnets to be used in BNL’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The magnets are integral to parts of the research conducted in the RHIC. Courtesy of Brookhaven National Laboratory. 4 Nuclear Sciences Looking to the Future —

Continued from page 3. Power from Deregulation Small Nuclear What is “regulation” as applied to utilities like electricity, natural gas, telephone service, etc.? Is our state preparing for deregulation? Generating If so, is the plan like California’s? What is different? Is that good? Other states (like Texas and Pennsylvania) have deregulated and aren’t having the problems Installations that California is experiencing. Why is that? What did those states do differently? Were the circumstances different? he view of many nuclear engineers is What other energy issues should we be concerned about in our state? Tthat the future of gener- ation is in small reactors. An overview How do environmental concerns relate to our energy needs and choices? of that possibility is found in “Alternative Are some energy sources more environmentally friendly than others? Nuclear Power,” an article in the April edition How? of The World & I, a monthly publication of How should concerns about sustainability (sustainable development) The Washington Times. impact our energy choices? The online edition is available at http://www.worldandi.com. The April issue What impact can we make with energy conservation measures? online contains the article with information Can we solve the entire supply problem this way? about new or “alternative” ways to generate power using nuclear technology. The article Some Web based Information Resources is found at http://www.worldandi.com/pub- www.ans.org www.iaea.org/worldatom/ www.eia.doe.gov lic/2001/April/nuclear.html (Access to some portions of the site is www.ans.org/pi/energyaction www.doe.gov www.nrc.gov restricted to subscribers.) n www.nei.org For additional web sites, see the sidebar story on page 2 or utilize your web browser. Go Go ... Science Connecting a Speaker to News on the Web Your Geiger Counter ooking for an on-line source of interest- ing news from the world of science? Simple Solution Works Well LWant information on topics from biology to physics to chemistry? Intrigued by interactions of mind and body? Like to read aking your bright-yellow, CD V-700 Geiger counter about everything from science textbooks to Maudible for classroom demonstrations is easy and space transportation to chronic fatigue inexpensive. The only tough part has been syndrome to the nature of water? attaching wires to the “phone” connector on the The web site www.scienceagogo.com Geiger counter. We believe we have a simple and might become a favorite place for you. easy solution! In mid-March, the site carried promotional For complete instructions and photos, go messages with links to 20 stories. All had to the on-line version of REACTIONS at been posted within the last three months. www.ans.org/pi/teachers/reactions/ and click on Link to Instructions At least one was a story which had been the April issue. Locate this article and you will distributed only a few weeks before as a find a link to the instructions. press release and which appeared as a news And, while visiting the REACTIONS page, be story in a publication from a well-known sure to register for e-mail notification of national laboratory. n future web-only issues. As a plus, there were several articles about CD V-700 nuclear physics, uranium, and related topics. Site visitors may be disappointed to find that articles don’t contain references for The next REACTIONS will be a WEB-ONLY edition! further research. But, this more “popular”

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©2001 American Nuclear Society. REACTIONS — teachers may reproduce portions of the newsletter for classroom use or filing; in other uses, please credit REACTIONS and the American Nuclear Society. ANS was founded in 1954 as a nonprofit, international scientific and educational organization. Its members are scientists, engineers, and educators working in government, academic and industry. Teacher names are welcome for addition to the REACTIONS mailing list. Any communication dealing with this publication should be addressed to REACTIONS Editorial staff, American Nuclear Society, 555 N. Kensington Ave., La Grange Park, IL 60526-5592; telephone 708/352-6611; e-mail [email protected]; http://www.ans.org April 2001