Blackouts: a sociology of electrical power failure

Electricity fuels our existence. It powers water purification, waste, food, transportation and communication systems. Modern social life is impossible to imagine without it. This article looks at what happens when the power goes off. It scrutinises the causes and consequences of accidental electrical power cuts. It begins by identifying the reasons for power failure. In doing so, power generation systems are identified as critical infrastructures. They are more fragile than is commonly supposed, and the argument is made that they are getting frailer. Irrespective of cause, blackouts display similar effects. These social patterns are identified. They include measurable economic losses and less easily quantified social costs. Financial damage, food safety, crime, transport issues and problems caused by diesel generators are all discussed. This is more than a record of failures past. It is contended that blackouts are dress rehearsals for the future in which they will appear with greater frequency and greater severity. Increasing numbers of blackouts are anticipated due to growing uncertainties in supply and growing certainties in demand. Supply will become ever more precarious because of peak oil, political instability, infrastructural neglect, global warming and the shift to renewable energy resources. Demand will become stronger because of population growth, rising levels of affluence and the consumer ‘addictions’ which accompany this

Accidentology: Towards a Sociology of Accidents and Disasters

While the unintended consequences of social action have exercised the sociological imagination since the discipline’s inception, sociology is yet to fully develop a systematic study of accidents and disasters. Leading figures in the field criticise current work on accidents for being piecemeal and isolated from mainstream sociology, for lacking theoretical innovation, for being blind to differential suffering and for being largely silent on questions of power. This article advances a case for an accidentology which will rectify these perceived flaws. It also advocates accidentology on the basis that accidents are socially patterned, that they are understudied compared to other social problems, and that they are increasing in scale, frequency and severity. In making these arguments we also consider what the examination of accidents and disasters will reveal

Blackout. What happens when the power goes off?

Power generation systems are undoubtedly critical infrastructures. But they are more fragile than is commonly supposed, and there is plenty of evidence they are getting frailer. Recent blackouts are dress rehearsals for a future in which they will appear with greater frequency and greater severity, due to growing uncertainties in supply and growing certainties in demand. Supply is generally taken for granted in western societies. Such is our dependence that our comfort, security, communication systems, transport, health, food supply, businesses and social equity systems struggle when electricity supplies are interrupted. Continuing sophistication and prevalence of electrical appliances only serves to increase our dependence. In the digital world, interruptions and disturbances less than 1 cycle (1/60th second) can have catastrophic effects. We now face a significant social problem. Increasing numbers of people are living longer and enjoying rising living standards. In 2008, the world’s population was 6,700,000,000, predicted to rise to 8,500,000,000 by 2035 with demand for electricity estimated to grow in that time by a staggering 80%. This will require an additional 5,900 gigawatts of capacity, according to the IEA. No one knows how this will be generated. Irrespective of their cause, research has shown that social impact patterns emerge when blackouts occur

Lights out: the dark future of electric power

ON 14 August 2003, the north-eastern US and Ontario, Canada, were crippled by an enormous electrical blackout that affected 50 million people. Commuters struggled to get to work, ATMs failed, 36 car manufacturing plants were closed and hundreds of flights were cancelled, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in economic losses. The cause was later found to be a software bug in a control room in Ohio. A few weeks later, the whole of Italy was cut off from Europe's electricity grid for 18 hours after falling trees took out two power lines in neighbouring Switzerland. We tend to think of such events as occasional, inconvenient blips. But in fact they are becoming increasingly common, and will only get more frequent and severe. This is because our electricity systems are more fragile than is commonly supposed, and are getting frailer. Unless we act, blackouts will become a regular, extremely disruptive part of everyday life

Rebuilding Christchurch’s Infrastructure: an analysis of political mismanagement

A research project funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand to investigate the: ‘Power Politics: Electricity and Sustainability in Post-Disaster Christchurch

Air-conditioning in New Zealand:power and policy

Policies, codes, standards and voluntary ‘green’ assessments have exacerbated cooling demand in New Zealand’s commercial buildings. Building codes allow designs to use single glazing on the facade, voluntary ‘green’ criteria are not higher than the legal minimum in the code and inexpensive energy for commercial buildings all contribute to an increasing use of air-conditioning. Legal standards for the energy efficiency of the building envelope of commercial buildings have not significantly changed in over a quarter of a century and, over much of the same time, the cost of electricity (the predominant form of energy in New Zealand used to heat and cool buildings) has decreased for commercial buildings. These factors have led to an increased dependency on air-conditioning in commercial buildings. This increase in energy demand is unnecessary and can be reduced through policies, codes, and standards that reduce solar gain and use mixed-mode ventilation. The reduction in air-conditioning demand will improve energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Identifying the Barriers to Building Back Better: A Case Study of Christchurch, New Zealand

We can’t agree on what constitutes “better” • Unintended consequences: doing good might be doing bad • Many want to build back the same (ChristChurchCathedral) • Rebuild mandates (e.g. PPPs) and insurance payments reinforced this (“like for like” replacements) • Capital flight/lack of capital • That other city problem: Auckland • Governance structures: “confusopoly” & the “tragedy of the anti-commons”, alphabet agencies • CBD already in decline (BBB = Baptist churches, brothels & band practice rooms) • New environmental challenges: sinking city, rising sea, drinking water contaminatio

The Impact of Disruptive Technologies on Future Urban Form in New Zealand’s Cities

This paper reviews the historical research that has led to widespread policies on compact urban form and collates evidence of research that demonstrates that dispersed urban form may be more energy efficient than compact. This is counterintuitive but is supported by both challenging the conventional modelling of energy use as well as case studies with empirical evidence. The conclusion is that policies on urban form should be driven not by existing technologies but by the disruptive technologies of the future. Energy demand and supply has not only influenced the growth and size of urban areas but has also influenced the shape of cities in New Zealand. At its most basic level, the shape of a city is characterized by the extent to which it either goes ‘up’ or goes ‘out’. Going up is associated with a compact city of relatively high density and tall buildings. Going out is associated with a dispersed city characterised by sprawl of relatively low density with detached buildings. It is generally assumed that a compact city is more energy efficient than a dispersed city for two main reasons. Firstly, there is less energy consumption for transport since travel distances are less. Secondly, it is assumed that compact and tall building types results in less surface area of building envelope and thereby less energy loss. Some studies supporting these views are now several decades old and have tended to make the assumption that internal combustion engine vehicles (ICVEs) will continue to dominate into the future that energy supplies are centralised and heat loss through building fabric is the best indicator of energy use for analysing built form. More recent research is challenging these assumptions both through accrued empirical evidence and also case studies of the impact of ‘disruptive technologies’. The increase use in distributed energy generation in urban areas (generally roof-mounted photovoltaics (PVs)), the growth in ownership of electric vehicles (EVs) and the potential introduction of smart and micro-grids and the possibility of virtual power plants (VPPs) is changing the impact that energy has on built form and conflicts with current policies for denser, contained and compact development