US heatwave to test the electricity grid in the middle of the demand for energy managed by AI | Weather News

Grid operators have warned that warmer temperatures in the US could send electricity demand closer to the July holiday season.

Electric utilities in the United States are warning that the heat wave could put more pressure on an already stressed power grid.

Extreme heat is expected to increase in most of the central and eastern parts of the country this week, from Tuesday to Thursday.

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The heat wave is expected to continue into the busiest weekend of the year, as millions of Americans prepare for Fourth of July celebrations on Saturday.

Temperatures this week are expected to soar above 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) from Boston to Washington, DC, prompting the need for air conditioning.

Climate change coincides with two major events on the US calendar. Saturday’s holiday is the 250th anniversary of US independence, and millions are expected to gather for barbecues, parades and fireworks.

Extreme heat also comes as FIFA World Cup has reached the knockout stage, and many cities where it is being held, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, are expected to feel the heat.

The humidity can push temperatures up to 46 degrees Celsius (114 Fahrenheit) in some places, while nighttime temperatures rarely get a break.

The US’s largest grid operator, PMJ Interconnection, predicted Thursday evening that it will need 166.3 gigawatts this summer, surpassing the summer peak set two decades ago, in 2006.

The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the operator of the state network, also expects the need for electricity to reach a higher level, while the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which covers 15 states in the Midwest and South, can also see that its number is challenged.

MISO officials said they are relying on PMJ to help address consumer needs.

In a May report, PMJ executives warned of a “significant mismatch between how demand is growing and how new infrastructure is being built and connected to the grid”.

New power plants, they said, now take twice as long to build and cost twice as much as they did a decade ago.

Currently, there has been an increase in electricity consumption from new technologies such as data centers and electric vehicles.

In May, PMJ reported that hyperscale data centers are “increasing load at an unprecedented rate”.

Experts say Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is colliding with climate change, with tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude being developed. energy-efficient storage facilities.

The most powerful ones are those that require between 100 and 300 watts of electricity, enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes.

Most of them are located in northern Virginia, which is within the PJM region and is widely described as the data center of the world.

Researchers have also discovered what they call a “data heat island”, finding that the temperature of the ground around AI data centers rises by about 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), while other areas see an increase of 9 degrees Celsius (16.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

National Weather Service in the US he warns that a long period of high temperature causes the body to be stressed.

It has urged people to limit outdoor activities, stay hydrated and stay close to air-conditioning or coolers.

A 2024 report from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that 21,518 people who died in the United States from 1999 to 2023 were caused by heat.

The highest number came in the final year of the report’s analysis, 2023. That year, 2,325 people died from extreme heat.