Category Archive: Light

Texas – ERCOT warns of tight electrical grid conditions

Texas officials warn of tight electrical grid conditions while temps soar, urges Texans to conserve energy as demand could outpace supply.

 

Supplemental Info:

 

June 14, 2021


Tight grid conditions expected due to high number of forced generation outages

 

Grid operator requests energy conservation


AUSTIN, TX, June 14, 2021 – The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is asking Texans to reduce electric use as much as possible today through Friday, June 18. A significant number of forced generation outages combined with potential record electric use for the month of June has resulted in tight grid conditions.
Generator owners have reported approximately 11,000 MW of generation is on forced outage for repairs; of that, approximately 8,000 MW is thermal and the rest is intermittent resources. According to the summer Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy, a typical range of thermal generation outages on hot summer days is around 3,600 MW. One MW typically powers around 200 homes on a summer day.


“We will be conducting a thorough analysis with generation owners to determine why so many units are out of service,” said ERCOT Vice President of Grid Planning and Operations Woody Rickerson. “This is unusual for this early in the summer season.”
According to generation owners, the number of outages should decrease throughout the week.


Wind output for today is expected to be 3,500 to 6,000 MW between 3 and 9 p.m. This is roughly 1,500 MW lower than what is typically available for peak conditions. Wind output is expected to increase as the week goes on.


Today’s peak load forecast may exceed 73,000 MW. The peak demand record for June is 69,123 MW set on June 27, 2018 between 4 and 5 p.m.


Please take these simple actions to help reduce electric use:

  • Set your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher – every degree of cooling increases your energy use by six to eight percent.
  • Turn off lights and pool pumps and avoid using large appliances like ovens, washing machines and dryers.
  • If you don’t need something – we are asking you to turn it off and unplug it if possible.

Visit the Power to Save website or your electric provider for more ways to conserve.


How to track electricity demand

  • View daily peak demand forecast, current load and available generation at http://www.ercot.com .
  • Follow ERCOT on Twitter (@ERCOT_ISO) and Facebook (Electric Reliability Council of Texas).
  • Sign up for the ERCOT mobile app (available for download at the Apple App Store and Google Play).
  • Subscribe to the Emergency Alerts list on http://lists.ercot.com.

Consumer assistance
Public Utility Commission of Texas Hotline – 1-888-782-8477

-end-

View Original:

http://www.ercot.com/news/releases/show/233037

 

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

Via: threatjournal


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Suez Canal Blocked by Giant Container Ship Causes a Global Shipping Backup

It couldn’t have gotten stuck in a worse spot.

article cover

On Tuesday, a gargantuan cargo ship named the Ever Given ran aground in the busy Suez Canal, blocking maritime traffic from entering or exiting the crucial shipping highway. If you’re wondering how a ship that weighs 220,000 tons and is the size of the Empire State Building ended up sideways, canal officials say high winds from a sandstorm restricted visibility around the time the ship got stuck.

It couldn’t be in a worse spot

The Suez Canal, which connects the Red Sea and the Mediterranean through Egypt, is the carotid artery of the global shipping system. Around 10% of worldwide shipping traffic flows through its narrow waters, including roughly 5% of globally traded crude oil. In 2019, nearly 19,000 ships transporting 1.2 billion tons of cargo passed through the canal, generating $5.6 billion in revenue for Egypt last year. Only the Panama Canal has a similar amount of traffic.

  • The Ever Given’s ill-timed perpendicular park job is acting like a Wendy’s Baconator to global trade’s circulatory system, creating massive traffic snarls on either side.

As of last night, over 100 ships were stuck at each end of the 120-mile canal, putting even more pressure on the global shipping industry that was already out of whack from the pandemic.

No one is shocked this happened

Modern container ships like the Ever Given are so massive that global ports and canals have struggled to accommodate them. The Suez Canal is only around 300 feet wide at most points, which makes piloting a huge ship through it tougher than unlocking your apartment door after six White Claws. When a massive ocean liner got stuck near a German port in 2016, it took 12 tugboats and almost a week to free it.

Bottom line: Shipping companies usually factor in extra days to their schedules to account for any unexpected delays. But if the Ever Given clogs the canal for longer than that, prices of stranded cargo, from crude oil to consumer goods, could be affected.

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.


via: morningbrew


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

PG&E Turns the Lights Out

California utility PG&E cut power to customers in several northern California counties on Saturday, citing high winds that could knock over equipment and cause fires. You might remember the company was found responsible for a series of lethal fires that tore through the area in 2017 and 2018.

  • PG&E equipment caused last year’s Camp Fire, which killed at least 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise.

Who was affected? Starting at 6am on Saturday, 1,600 businesses and homes had no power. PG&E cut off power to 26,900 additional customers at 9pm, some of which were in Paradise. Frustrated businesses are turning to generators to keep things running.

Zoom out: After state officials said PG&E was on the hook for the Camp Fire, legal liabilities threatened to destroy the utility. It filed for bankruptcy protection in January. 

Bottom line: PG&E barely made it through last year’s disaster intact and knows it can’t make a single misstep. NorCal residents can expect more precautionary shut-offs.

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

via: morningbrew


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Free Homesteading, Cooking, Prepper, Survival eBooks & PDF’s for 08-01-18

Free Kindle Survival Homesteading Books

Free Homesteading, cooking, Survival, , and Prepping Kindle ebooks and PDF’s? Yes FREE Kindle ebooks and PDF’s!! Every now and then Amazon runs special offers on some of their Kindle ebooks and PDF’s, making them free for a limited time (usually just 24 hours).

I will check Amazon on regularly basis for their free Kindle ebooks in related subjects such as survival, homesteading and prepping etc. I will do all the leg-work for you so you don’t have to. You can just come back here regularly, so make sure to bookmark this blog.

These ebooks and PDF’s are only free for a limited time so if you are interested in one make sure you get it right away so you don’t lose out!

Remember you DON’T need a kindle to take advantage of these! There are FREE kindle apps for most major platforms!! iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac and Android. You can find those apps here!

Always check price before engaging, to make sure it hasn’t returned to full price.

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

 

 

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Free Homesteading, Cooking, Prepper, Survival eBooks & PDF for 06-05-18

Free Kindle Survival Homesteading Books

Free Homesteading, cooking, Survival, , and Prepping Kindle ebooks and PDF’s? Yes FREE Kindle ebooks and PDF’s!! Every now and then Amazon runs special offers on some of their Kindle ebooks and PDF’s, making them free for a limited time (usually just 24 hours).

I will check Amazon on regularly basis for their free Kindle ebooks in related subjects such as survival, homesteading and prepping etc. I will do all the leg-work for you so you don’t have to. You can just come back here regularly, so make sure to bookmark this blog.

These ebooks and PDF’s are only free for a limited time so if you are interested in one make sure you get it right away so you don’t lose out!

Remember you DON’T need a kindle to take advantage of these! There are FREE kindle apps for most major platforms!! iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac and Android. You can find those apps here!

Always check price before engaging, to make sure it hasn’t returned to full price.

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

 


Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Free Homesteading, Cooking, Prepper, Survival eBooks & PDF for 05-07-18

Free Kindle Survival Homesteading Books

Free Homesteading, cooking, Survival, , and Prepping Kindle ebooks and PDF’s? Yes FREE Kindle ebooks and PDF’s!! Every now and then Amazon runs special offers on some of their Kindle ebooks and PDF’s, making them free for a limited time (usually just 24 hours).

I will check Amazon on regularly basis for their free Kindle ebooks in related subjects such as survival, homesteading and prepping etc. I will do all the leg-work for you so you don’t have to. You can just come back here regularly, so make sure to bookmark this blog.

These ebooks and PDF’s are only free for a limited time so if you are interested in one make sure you get it right away so you don’t lose out!

Remember you DON’T need a kindle to take advantage of these! There are FREE kindle apps for most major platforms!! iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac and Android. You can find those apps here!

Always check price before engaging, to make sure it hasn’t returned to full price.

 

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

 


Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Free Homesteading, Cooking, Prepper, Survival eBooks & PDF for 05-03-18

Free Kindle Survival Homesteading Books

Free Homesteading, cooking, Survival, , and Prepping Kindle ebooks and PDF’s? Yes FREE Kindle ebooks and PDF’s!! Every now and then Amazon runs special offers on some of their Kindle ebooks and PDF’s, making them free for a limited time (usually just 24 hours).

I will check Amazon on regularly basis for their free Kindle ebooks in related subjects such as survival, homesteading and prepping etc. I will do all the leg-work for you so you don’t have to. You can just come back here regularly, so make sure to bookmark this blog.

These ebooks and PDF’s are only free for a limited time so if you are interested in one make sure you get it right away so you don’t lose out!

Remember you DON’T need a kindle to take advantage of these! There are FREE kindle apps for most major platforms!! iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac and Android. You can find those apps here!

Always check price before engaging, to make sure it hasn’t returned to full price.

 

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

 


Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Free Homesteading, Cooking, Prepper, Survival Kindle eBooks for 03-09-18

Free Kindle Survival Homesteading Books

Free Homesteading, cooking, Survival, , and Prepping Kindle ebooks? Yes FREE Kindle ebooks!! Every now and then Amazon runs special offers on some of their Kindle ebooks, making them free for a limited time (usually just 24 hours).

I will check Amazon on regularly basis for their free Kindle ebooks in related subjects such as survival, homesteading and prepping etc. I will do all the leg-work for you so you don’t have to. You can just come back here regularly, so make sure to bookmark this blog.

These ebooks are only free for a limited time so if you are interested in one make sure you get it right away so you don’t lose out!

Remember you DON’T need a kindle to take advantage of these! There are FREE kindle apps for most major platforms!! iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac and Android. You can find those apps here!

Always check price before engaging, to make sure it hasn’t returned to full price.

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

 


Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

Free Homesteading, Cooking, Prepper, Survival Kindle eBooks for 02-15-18

Free Kindle Survival Homesteading Books

Free Homesteading, cooking, Survival, , and Prepping Kindle ebooks? Yes FREE Kindle ebooks!! Every now and then Amazon runs special offers on some of their Kindle ebooks, making them free for a limited time (usually just 24 hours).

I will check Amazon on regularly basis for their free Kindle ebooks in related subjects such as survival, homesteading and prepping etc. I will do all the leg-work for you so you don’t have to. You can just come back here regularly, so make sure to bookmark this blog.

These ebooks are only free for a limited time so if you are interested in one make sure you get it right away so you don’t lose out!

Remember you DON’T need a kindle to take advantage of these! There are FREE kindle apps for most major platforms!! iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac and Android. You can find those apps here!

Always check price before engaging, to make sure it hasn’t returned to full price.

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

imageimageimage

imageimageimage


Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.


Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page

How to Make a Candle Out of Anything

Guest post from The Ready Store

 

—————–

Knowing how to make candles in an emergency is a great skill to have. With the right knowledge and skills, you can make a candle out of a wide variety of different objects including fruits, crayons, shotgun shells or even old candles.

Check out these tutorials below to see how you can make candles and become even more self-sufficient.

Bayberries
Early colonists would use berries to make candles. However, it wasn’t the most efficient processes – you need a lot of berries for it to work. With about 4 pounds of berries you can get about 1 pound of wax. Boil bayberries in water and cover. Once the water is boiling remove from heat and allow to chill. A thin layer of wax will form on the top – which you can scrape off and use to create the wax for your candle. Run the wax through a cheesecloth and allow to melt again if needed in order to form into your mold.


Olive Oil
Since olive oil is a fluid, it’s harder to “stick” a wick in of it. Flatten out a paperclip and form it into a shape that will hold onto the wick and the side of a jar. Then fill your jar with olive oil – allowing the oil to spread onto the wick.

Orange
First, locate a large orange and cut it in half. Gently pull away the peel so that it stay in one half-circle piece. You’ll have two orange peel halves – one with a little orange core attached to it. Add about a half inch of olive oil into the base of the orange peel half. Make sure the core gets soaked with olive oil too. Allow the oil to settle for a while and make sure that it’s crusting on the core. Light the “wick” and you’re set to go!

Crayons
Add a bunch of crayons into a bowl of water. Allow to soak for 5 minutes. Collect cookie cutters or any other type of molds you would like. Spray the molds with non-stick spray. This will allow you to easily remove the wrappers from the crayons. Place 10-15 candles in a container that you don’t want anymore. Place the candles in the microwave for about 2 minutes or until they are smooth. Quickly pour the candles into the form that you’ve created because it will harden fast. Let the candles settle for 5 minutes and then place the wick.

Old Candles
Once you’ve used your wax candles, don’t throw them away. You can reuse the wax to create new candles with new wicks that you buy. Make sure there are no wick pieces in the wax and cut the wax pieces into smaller chunks. Spray the inside of a shot glass or other mold lightly with non-stick spray. Set the pre-waxed wick at the bottom of the mold, extending to the top. Now that the mold is ready, set up your melting device (or a double boiler). Set a sauce pan inside of a larger pan filled with water and melt the wax inside. Once the wax is melted, pour into your mold and allow to set and cool.

Crisco
This might be the easiest candle to create. Simply shove a candle wick (or a piece of string) into the middle of an open tub of Crisco. You’ll want to use a long stick or skewer to push it to the bottom. Hit the tub on a hard surface to settle the contents. Not only will the gigantic candle burn, but it will burn for 45 days.


Shotgun Shells
It’s probably a given: ONLY use shotgun shells that have been used and are empty. Do not light active shotgun shells.

Add wax to a double boiler – or into a sauce pot that is sitting inside of a larger pot of hot water. Turn to medium heat so the wax is melted but not burning. While that is melting, use an old toothbrush to clean and brush the inside and outside of the shotgun shell. Pour the melted wax into the empty shell and place the wick. Once the wax is cooled and settled, remove the plastic outer layer of the shell with an exacto knife and keep the wax candle on the metal base of the shell. Light-a-way!

Lipstick
We’ve even see someone make a candle out of lipstick! Just twist the lipstick out as far as it can go and lay sideways on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the side of the lipstick. Lay the wick into the slit and slide to the middle of the lipstick. Roll the lipstick back into it’s tube and light it up.

Other reading:

How to make a Pine Knot Torch for emergency light

DIY Emergency Lights from Solar Yard Lights

Quick tip for more light.

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

 

Via: thereadystore



Save pagePDF pageEmail pagePrint page