Taking a voltscation

Hitting the road in search of sanity.

Hey, Friends of Volts (FoVs)!

I’m just dropping a quick note to let you know that Transmission Fortnight is being put on temporary hold due to the fact that I’m taking my first vacation since the pandemic started.

For the next week, a friend and I will be living in his van — a Covid bubble of two. Luckily, the van is outfitted with some beds, a sink, and a stove, and will be taking us to mountains around the Pacific Northwest, which we plan to slide down on our snowboards. Quarantine protocols will be maintained. Some sanity and equilibrium will be reclaimed from the intense madness of the previous year. And maybe, just maybe, some pow will be shred.

I had hoped to wrap up our transmission journey before I left, but everything takes longer than I think it will and I’ve still got a couple of pieces to go. So, yes, it seems we’re looking at Transmission Month. I should have known from the beginning.

Coming up post-vacation: “grid-enhancing technologies” that can help the current transmission system operate more efficiently and increase its capacity. I’m not saying things are going to get wild, but … some topology will be optimized. With algorithms.

Thank you all for reading and for making these first two months of Volts such a gratifying experience. See you next week. Stay safe.

The dogs need a vacation too. (Photo: David Roberts)