Blackout postmortems have noted that in the continental United States, the electricity system consists of just three regions, the Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection, and the Texas Interconnection.* Why does the Lone Star State have its own power grid?
http://www.slate.com/id/2087133/
Science News
ScienceDaily (June 26, 2006) — Terrorists attack Colombia's electrical grid hundreds of times a year. What's to stop attacks on America's power lines?
An Iowa State University research team led by Arun Somani, chair and Jerry R. Junkins professor of electrical and computer engineering, is working to develop a network of wireless sensors that could monitor the country's electricity transmission system. While the sensors could pick up suspicious activity at power poles, they'd be especially useful at quickly locating any breakdowns. That could allow power companies to react in time to prevent power disruptions from cascading into blackouts. And the monitoring system could also help power companies quickly locate problems when severe weather tears down electrical lines.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060626232026.htm
