Google is supporting Earth Hour
According to Earth Hour’s FAQ, they’ve talked to various providers about a mass simultaneous shut off causing a power surge. Now here is the rub, Earth Hour is targeting selected cities, yet Google reaches a global audience. What happens when 10% of a non-targeted town in a rural area with out dated or poorly tested electrical systems drops their power consumption drastically at the same time, then turns their connections back on an hour later? People are a sucker for a good cause, so the simple rational idea of turning off your lights for an hour at a specified time is easy way to do something for mother earth. Wouldn’t be surprised if a few people flipped their house’s main circuit breakers.
It doesn’t take much to cause a massive power cascade simply from a single system failing over. Not all of these problems are solved in the electrical grid either, In 2008 a major Florida blackout occurred which is remarkably similar in it’s cascade nature of the larger 2003 northeast blackout. This is 5 years later, in a 1st world country. (And where is my flying car? We were promised flying cars!)
As a result of Google’s advertising, rural towns may suddenly find themselves wishing they had kept better maintenance on their lines. I’m not saying that there will be major blackouts. Most likely nothing will happen. I still worry what could happen when this very complex interconnected system is strained in new and interesting ways.
Once again the idea of living off the grid entirely is an interesting idea. Not only the free, renewable resources, but not being effected by the idiocy of others. Hmm laptop needs more juice…