>> 150 MILLION AMERICANS ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING HEAT ALERTS AND SCORCHING TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

EXCESSIVE WEATHER IS PUTTING A STRAIN ON THE NATION'S POWER GRID.

THE LARGEST GRID OPERATOR ISSUED AN ALERT THAT IT MAY HAVE TO IMPLEMENT EMERGENCY PROCEDURES SO WILL THE POWER GRID BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH DEMAND AND KEEP FOLKS COOL AS EVERYONE NO DOUBT TURNS UP THOSE AIR-CONDITIONERS.

JOINING US NOW TO SHARE HIS INSIGHT IS MARK PETRY, DIRECTOR OF THE POWER GRID PROGRAM AT ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY RELIABILITY, RESILIENCY, SECURITY AND EFFICIENCY OF THE NATION'S POWER GRID.

MARK PETRIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

WHEN YOU HEAR THAT WARNING FROM FIJI AND HIM , WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN THEY SAID THEY HAVE TO PUT INTO PLACE PERHAPS EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS?

>> WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT THEY ARE RUNNING REALLY CLOSE TO THEIR MARGIN AND UNDER TYPICAL CIRCUMSTANCES, OUR GRID IS RUN WITH EXTRA CAPACITY KEPT IN RESERVE BUT WITH THE INCREASING AIR CONDITIONING ON THE COMMAND SIDE AND THE LIMITATIONS THAT HAPPEN ON THE POWER GRID SIDE BECAUSE OF RISING TEMPERATURES, THEY FEEL THAT THEY ARE REALLY CUTTING INTO THOSE MARGINS.

WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THINGS SHOULD BE FINE BUT IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER EVENT THAT TAKE PLACE , ONE OR MORE POWER PLANTS GO DOWN.

A CIRCUIT BREAKER TRIPS, A SUBSTATION GOES OUT OR SOME COMBINATION OF THESE THINGS.

IT COULD REQUIRE THE POWER GRID OPERATORS TO SHED LOAD AND START WITH BROWNOUTS OR ROLLING BLACKOUTS.

>> PGM REMINDS US THEY START IN 13 STATES.

DOES THAT INCLUDE THIS AREA?

>> IT EXTENDS INTO THE TERRITORY.

>> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE THE TEMPERATURES ARE THE HOTTEST.

IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE MAP, IT IS THE ENTIRE STATE OF ILLINOIS.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS IN CHICAGO AND WILL ANNOY.

SAID -- SHOULD SOMETHING HAPPEN AND THAT OUR GRID GO DOWN CAUSING A BROWNOUT?

SPENT THE POWER GRID IS THE HEART OF OUR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURES.

AS WE SAW IN PAST EVENTS LIKE DOWN IN TEXAS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WERE GOING WAY BACK TO 23 WITH NORTHEAST POWER OUTAGE, IF YOU LOSE POWER, I LOSE COMMUNICATIONS, I HAVE TROUBLE WITH TRANSPORTATION, FINANCE.

I CANNOT USE THE ATM IN NEW YORK, THEY COULD NOT BECAUSE THE POWER WENT OUT.

I HAVE TROUBLE STORING FOOD.

YOU MENTIONED THESE COMMUNITY CENTERS THAT ARE BEING SET UP FOR SHELTERS AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO KEEP OUR PEOPLE SAFE UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS.

IT CAN BE A PROBLEM.

>> WHEN YOU SEE EXCESSIVE RAIN EVENTS, CHICAGO OFFICIALS URGE PEOPLE TO CONSERVE WATER, DON'T RUN THE DISHWASHER, DON'T RUN THE WASHING MACHINE.

IS IT A SENSITIVE -- SIMILAR SITUATION HERE?

>> YOUR UTILITY WILL OFTEN GIVE YOU NOTICES.

IN FACT, THERE ARE MANY PROGRAMS CALLED DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAMS WHERE THE UTILITY MIGHT PAY YOU A FEE TO ALLOW THEM TO ASK YOU TO TURN DOWN YOUR AIR CONDITIONER OR MAYBE REDUCER ELECTRICITY USAGE.

SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS, NEW TOOLS THAT UTILITY OPERATORS HAVE TO WORK WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THE POWER GRID REMAINS RELIABLE.

>> GIVEN THE FACT THAT RATES ARE PROBABLY GOING TO SORE RIGHT NOW WITH ALL OF THE DEMANDS ON THE SYSTEM AND THERE ARE LOT OF ALARM AND HEAT RECORDS ARE BEING BROKEN ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

THIS WILL LIKELY BE THE HOTTEST YEAR ON RECORD GIVEN THE SEVERAL RECENT YEARS SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN LONG-TERM FOR THE POWER GRID?

YOU MENTIONED THAT IT OPERATES SOMETIMES CLOSE TO THE LIMIT >> SO WE SPEND A LOT OF EFFORT HERE AT ARGONNE TO TRY TO STUDY WHAT, CHANGE IS GOING TO DO IN TERMS OF FUTURE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS.

AND WE HAVE THE HIGHEST RESOLUTION CLIMATE MODELS IN THE ENTIRE NORTH AMERICA.

AND WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS THAT THESE EVENTS ARE MORE TYPICAL.

WE WILL SEE LONGER AND DEEPER HEAT EVENTS AND DROUGHTS .

HERE IN THE ILLINOIS AREA, WE CAN ALSO EXPECT , SURPRISINGLY, PROBABLY MORE ICE STORMS IN THE WINTER AND THOSE CAN CAUSE DIFFERENT TYPE OF PROBLEMS WITH WINTER AND CABLES.

BACK TO WHAT THE HEAT CAN DO TO THE POWER GRID SYSTEM, WELL, IT REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF POWER YOU CAN RUN ON YOUR TRANSMISSION LINES.

EVERY TIME YOU RUN ELECTRONS THROUGH THOSE CABLES, GENERATES HEAT SO THERE ARE TEMPERATURE LIMITS ON THOSE THINGS.

AND NOW, I AM COMPOUNDING THE FACT THAT THERE IS MORE DEMAND ON THE SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONING AND OTHER RESOURCES LIKE THAT.

I CAN FLOW LESS POWER THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION LINES AND EVEN THE GENERATORS AT THE BIG POWER PLANTS, THEY WILL HAVE LIMITS ON HOW MUCH THEY CAN HEAT UP THE COOLING WATER.

FOR INSTANCE, IF THEY ARE USING A RESERVOIR OR A RIVER.

THEY MAY HAVE TO CUT BACK ON POWERS GENERATED .

>> GOING TO SPRINGFIELD ASKING FOR RATE HIKES SO THAT IT CAN INTRODUCE A MORE EFFICIENT GRID AND I KNOW THAT TAKES A LOT OF CONSUMERS OFF BUT ANYWAY, CAN THEY MODERNIZE THE SYSTEM TO MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT?

>> SO, I AM OBVIOUSLY NOT WANT TO GET INTO THE DEBATE BETWEEN STATE REGULATORS BUT THERE DEFINITELY ARE TO ALLERGIES AND TOOLS THAT CAN HELP MAKE THE GRID MORE RELIABLE AND RESILIENT.

SO, WE TALKED ABOUT DEMAND AND RESPONSE, WHERE THERE ARE PROGRAMS BETWEEN CUSTOMERS AND UTILITIES THAT CAN HELP MANAGE THE SYSTEM.

THERE ARE WAYS OF HARD THE SYSTEM TO ADD REDUNDANCY TO THE SYSTEM.

>> SORRY.

WE ARE OUT OF TIME SO WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GET