When the lights go out: "analyzing San Diego's fuel plan in the event of a prolonged power outage"
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Authors
McDonald, Steven
Greg, O'Neal
Tolentino, Ricardo
Issue Date
2012
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
Homeland security , Safety engineering
Alternative Title
Abstract
The 2011 San Diego Blackout illustrated the frailty of the United States power grid. Initially the power outage was rumored that it would last for several days and immediately concerns over the County’s emergency preparedness were raised. Prior to this event no planning had been conducted for a long-term complete loss of electrical power. One major problem the 2011 San Diego Blackout raised is the issue of managing backup power supplies and keeping them operational during a prolonged event. Seven areas are identified as being particularly susceptible to a long-term power outage. These areas are fuel, hospitals, water, wastewater, transit, communications, and airports. All of these areas faced unique challenges during the 2011 San Diego Blackout but all are connected by the fact that fuel plays a major role in operating their respective backup power supplies. This research analyzes what happened during the 12-hour power outage and forecasts what would have happened if the incident had lasted up to 36 hours by using previous incidents as historical evidence to support the claims. The answer to the problems identified by this research is a controlled and managed backup power supply plan that can be easily implemented during a prolonged power outage. Executing the recommendations highlighted by this research will undoubtedly lead to a more resilient back up power supply and will alleviate many of the unfortunate impacts that were reported during the 2011 San Diego Blackout.