A documentary exposing the weaknesses of the US power grid has been released for free on Youtube. Narrated by Dennis Quaid, “Grid Down Power Up” explores several plausible ways that large portions of the U.S. power grid could be taken offline for weeks, months, or even years.
Through discussions with various experts, “Grid Down Power Up” assesses significant natural and man-made threats to the power grid. You can watch a 7-minute excerpt from the film below to learn more about the primary threats that are analyzed.
How the grid will go down
The four greatest threats to the grid discussed in the film are:
- Cyber attack
- Physical attack
- Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack
- Solar storms
As the film explores, any one of these threats could take down significant portions of the U.S. power grid, triggering catastrophic consequences. Without electricity, Americans would lose access to food, water, heat, supply chains, and emergency services. In some cases, damaged grid equipment (much of which is manufactured overseas) could take months or years to replace.
The information discussed in “Grid Down Power Up” is unsettling. It’s hard to think about an extended grid-down scenario in which the filmmakers suggest great numbers of Americans could die.
“It’s not difficult to imagine,” asserts host, Dennis Quaid, “how our entire world could quickly turn to chaos.” Aside from supply chain failures, the film imagines the anarchy that would quickly overtake the country in the absence of food and water.
It would be easy to watch a documentary like “Grid Down Power Up” and walk away feeling helpless. With all of the threats, is there anything that one individual can realistically do to avoid a grid-down crisis? However, while “Grid Down Power Up” serves as a dark warning, it is also intended as a wake up call.
The movie concludes with a positive message of hope and the potential for change. Dennis Quaid urges viewers to take action by demanding that their representatives and leaders prioritize the hardening of the grid.
The filmmakers also reminds viewers that individuals have the ability to prepare their own households with emergency food, water, and supplies.
If you haven’t seen it yet, “Grid Down Power Up” is worth the watch. As released on Youtube, the movie does contain some paid promotion, but since it’s now being released to viewers for free, the advertising is forgivable.
