A three year drought actually: >There has been little rain in Venezuela in the past three years, and a crippling deficit last year in particular—a predictable

A three year drought actually: >There has been little rain in Venezuela in the past three years, and a crippling deficit last year in particular—a predictable effect of El Niño, the global climate cycle that periodically warms parts of the Pacific Ocean, causing deluges in Texas and Florida, warm weather in eastern Canada, and desiccation in Indonesia and parts of Latin America. As a result, the water behind Venezuela’s dams, which supply around two-thirds of the country’s electricity, is at a historic low. At the Guri Dam, the nation’s largest hydropower facility, the water is reportedly within five metres of dead pool. At this low level, the worry is that air will get into the dam’s inner workings along with the water, producing vibrations in the metal turbine blades that can rattle the structure to death. If Venezuela’s reservoirs run dry and its dams stop working, its grid will, too. http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-electricity-crisis-in-venezuela-a-cautionary-tale http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-electricity-crisi...