Families at home could overwhelm the power grid this summer -- and set off blackouts

The coronavirus pandemic could trigger widespread blackouts this summer as millions of workers stay home cranking their air conditioners.

Overall energy usage has plummeted since the coronavirus disrupted daily life, the power infrastructure in residential areas is set up to accommodate heavy use in the early mornings and evenings, and slow down during the day, reported The Daily Beast.

“The fact that Lower Manhattan is using less power is not going to help to deliver power to people in Queens, many of whom for health reasons may be intolerant to high temperatures, and whose buildings are connected to a very old transmission line with limited margins to carry extra power,” said Yury Dvorkin, assistant professor at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering. “What's going to happen this summer, if we have stay-at-home orders, if we have consumption which the grid was not designed to accommodate, it will push the system to its limits.”

Overall usage has already jumped 7 percent in New York City apartments, and by as much as 20 percent in California homes, and that could cause failures in aged transformers this summer when air conditioners are put to heavier use.

“The fact that Lower Manhattan is using less power is not going to help to deliver power to people in Queens, many of whom for health reasons may be intolerant to high temperatures, and whose buildings are connected to a very old transmission line with limited margins to carry extra power,” said Dvorkin. “What's going to happen this summer, if we have stay-at-home orders, if we have consumption which the grid was not designed to accommodate, it will push the system to its limits.”

"If everyone plugs in at the same time, I worry about what's going to happen,” he added.