Question

What caused the August 2003 blackout in the United States and Canada? How many generating units were forced to shut down during that blackout?

Short answer

This blackout was caused by improper telecommunication, sagging transmission lines, excessive strain on the conductors, and line connections with trees.

Step-by-step solution

Define blackouts: 

The blackout is defined as the condition that causes total power failure of the power system in the specific region. The blackout is restored by sharing or connecting the load with the nearby grids to stabilize the power system parameters again.

Relationship between Canada and U.S

By importing and exporting electrical energy between the two nations, Canada and the U.S. are able to sustain their energy relationship. Most of the electricity in the United States comes from Canada.

 Step 3:Write caused the August 2003 blackout in the United States and Canada

The majority of cities in the United States and Canada blackout in August 2013 as a result of a cascading failure of transmission and generation equipment in the eastern connectivity of North America. So many individuals in eight US states and two Canadian provinces are affected by this blackout. Around 530 producing stations were shut down as a result of this outage.

 Step 4: Determine generating units were forced to shut down during that blackout

This blackout was caused by improper telecommunication, sagging transmission lines, excessive strain on the conductors, and line connections with trees. Three 345kV transmission lines trip as a result of software failure in Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO), and operated 132kV lines cascade as a result of sag.