Lawmakers Push to Protect Power Grid

[Ben]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2013/08/14/redox-power-plans-to-roll-out-dishwasher-sized-fuel-cells-that-cost-90-less-than-currently-available-fuel-cells/

I've been watching developments along these lines closely.

Interesting. I haven't followed fuel cells in a long time. I was looking at them not for use but as a stock investment in the early 2000's, but at the time there was a lot of hype and not a lot of concrete development, so I blew them off and haven't really followed their development since. I always thought the concept was really good, but execution at the time was not. When I first started reading about them, they reminded me of all the Science Fiction I had read with homes powered by nuclear fuel cells. :)

[Brad Johnson]

I've looked into the Bloom products.  I like the concept, and the tech, but for a company that's championing cost-competitive power it's sure not very open about the actual price of the units in a typical residential installation.  That alone raises a bunch of red flags for me.

Brad

[makattak]

I've looked into the Bloom products.  I like the concept, and the tech, but for a company that's championing cost-competitive power it's sure not very open about the actual price of the units in a typical residential installation.  That alone raises a bunch of red flags for me.

Brad

I've noticed that too. From other articles, I've seen estimations of around $20,000, not including installation.

[Tallpine]

I've noticed that too. From other articles, I've seen estimations of around $20,000, not including installation.

So how would the NG cost compare to buying grid electric, assuming you had NG connection 

And what would you do with the extra heat in the summer 

[Nick1911]

So how would the NG cost compare to buying grid electric, assuming you had NG connection 

And what would you do with the extra heat in the summer 

Absorption Chiller?  Of course, that wouldn't be cheap.

[KD5NRH]

A follow-up article in the WSJ about the tremendous lead time, cost and shipping time to replace power transformers, and how the grid could be crippled by taking them out. Yikes.

Just in case any potential terrorists were wondering how effective that would be.

[RoadKingLarry]

Do they log that?   Most smaller transformers in plants just have over pressure and maybe low level switches. 

They can log what ever they want to set up to be monitored.
In the buildings I work among other things we monitor for building temp hi and low, fire, smoke, commercial AC, voltage at the regulators and inverters, state of battery discharge, door open sensors, status of cable air pressure systems...
All that and more in addition to equipment alarms and QOS on the data network. 

[Balog]

Just in case any potential terrorists were wondering how effective that would be.

Because of all the terrorists who eagerly await the Wall Street Journal to tell them how to be terrorists.

[makattak]

Because of all the terrorists who eagerly await the Wall Street Journal to tell them how to be terrorists.

(Bumping the story as this is appropriate)

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/report-power-grid-threats-mishandled

Whether they were waiting for it or not, our intrepid federal government mishandled similar information at the threats posed at specific locations.

Instead of dealing with the issues and protecting those locations, they've made them public....


Eh, close enough for government work. (Who's taking odds on how many people get fired for this? I've got 0 in the pool.)

[KD5NRH]

Because of all the terrorists who eagerly await the Wall Street Journal to tell them how to be terrorists.

I doubt many of them are eagerly awaiting the next issue of Disco World either, but I'd bet if it included a centerfold with detailed Pentagon blueprints, camera and sensor locations, patrol schedules and weakest points, they'd find out about it and add that to their library of potential attacks.

[MillCreek]

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2023453804_gridsecurityxml.html

The grid can be brought down in many other ways that don't involve shooting at the transformers.  Wouldn't that be one of the quickest ways to disrupt our civilization: impacting the electrical grid for a period of time.

[HankB]

The real question they should investigate is where did the terrists find 100 rounds of ammo to buy?      

Not a problem, unless it's .22 rimfire.

[makattak]

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2023453804_gridsecurityxml.html

The grid can be brought down in many other ways that don't involve shooting at the transformers.  Wouldn't that be one of the quickest ways to disrupt our civilization: impacting the electrical grid for a period of time.

Yes. I'm amazed it hasn't happened yet. My guess is its not "glamorous" enough of a target.

[brimic]

Yes. I'm amazed it hasn't happened yet. My guess is its not "glamorous" enough of a target.

Americans can't watch crappily produced of jihadis taking credit for such an attack if the tv doesn't work.
Terror works better when people witness a few broadcasted brutal deaths than several million deaths that iccyr when the comms are down.