New England's seat of power :: Cape Wind :: America's First Offshore Wind Farm on Nantucket Sound

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New England's seat of power
Sunday, May 11, 2008
In a shiny building tucked just off Interstate 91 — 138 miles northwest of the Cape Cod Canal — is the brain that keeps the lights on. Inside, handlers of New England's electric grid monitor the system from a 4,000-square-foot master control room. This is the cerebral center of Independent System Operator New England, or ISO, the manager of the region's grid and electricity market.

Suspended on the far wall of the room, a swimming pool-sized screen displays electrical connections from Maine to Connecticut in a rough geographic arrangement. Teams of men and women watch hawkishly over power supplies and power demand 24 hours a day, year-round. But the infrastructure that keeps the juice flowing — throughout New England and onto the Cape — faces serious challenges, from both inside and outside the system.

Note: Click here to read this article in the Cape Cod Times

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