“Powerless” – A history of our nation’s major power blackouts and description of its grid, including a focus on last year’s Texas fiasco In November 1965, the United States suffered its first major loss of electrical power, The Great Northeast Blackout of 1965. 30 million people were left in the dark, including all New York City. New York City again went dark in 1977, and again, 2004, in the largest blackout to hit the United States. Cities and states across the country have been affected at one time or another. This presentation will cover the history of major blackouts, their causes, impact and aftermath. The presentation will also describe the nation’s power grid with its three separate systems, transmission voltage levels, AC versus DC transmission, and who watches over this nation-wide grid which we all depend on 24/7. In addition, it’s been over a year since the collapse of Texas power system. Some called this catastrophe one of the worst blackouts in the nation’s history in terms of impact to those affected. We will look at just how close the grid was to total collapse and what has and has NOT been done to prevent another power disaster. Co-sponsored by: CH02125 – Philadelphia Section Chapter,VT06 Speaker(s): Bob Swayne , Agenda: WEBINAR: 7:00 – 8:00 P.M. The Zoom Webinar link and password will be forwarded to all registered participants after Noon on the day of the meeting. Check your spam folder if you don’t see the email. Webinar is open to all. Professional Development Hours: Attendees may apply for 1.0 PDH provided through the IEEE Certificates Program, accepted in all states. Send $5.00 (USD) payment to Brandon Swartley via Zelle at brandon.swartley@ieee.org and complete online evaluation at https://r2.ieee.org/philadelphia-vts/forms/ Virtual Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/310555