Blackouts reveal lapses in power supply

One hallmark of an advanced society is a reliable supply of electrical energy for residential, commercial and industrial consumers.
Uncertainty that power will be there when we need it it undermines social cohesion and economic progress – as demonstrated by the travails of poor nations with erratic energy supplies.
California got a small dose of that syndrome in mid-August when a record heat wave struck the state and utilities were ordered to impose rolling blackouts to protect the grid fr