America’s increasing reliance on intermittent power sources and batteries is creating novel risks, according to grid specialists who testified before Congress on July 18. Many of the greatest among them emanate from a key geopolitical rival, China. That’s partly because the new technologies frequently use inverters. When solar panels, wind turbines, and battery systems generate…
Experts Warn Renewable Energy Creates ‘New Opportunities’ for Chinese Grid Attacks
Federal Regulator Sounds Alarm on Declining Electric Grid Reliability
The commissioners of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sounded the alarm on a deteriorating U.S. grid in a House hearing on June 13. At one point, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) asked the commissioners a yes-or-no question: “Has electric reliability worsened or improved over the past three years?” The first answer came from acting FERC…
Biden EPA Tightens Screws on Coal Plants
A new proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would boost emissions standards for coal-fired power plants, heartening public health advocates and raising questions from the energy industry about cost and feasibility. It comes after a February 2022 EPA ruling that reversed a Trump administration action in 2020 on the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards…
The Weakening Electric Grid: Less Reliable, More Fragile
As more and more irritated customers become certain that power shortages and blackouts have become more common, the electric grid’s problems receive more attention. They should. Shortages and blackouts have in fact become much more common than they once were. The electric power grid has become increasingly fragile and considerably less reliable. This is especially…
What Is the Grid and How It Could Cause a Great Blackout in California | David Tice
“This greater reliance on electricity is a risk because our grid is dated, our grid is not very well protected the way it’s been constructed now, and frankly, it makes it more and more vulnerable.” Siyamak sits down with investor and filmmaker David Tice. Just exactly how vulnerable is our electrical grid in California? What…
Freezing Ukraine Gradually Restores Power After Russian Strikes on Grid
KYIV—Ukrainian authorities on Friday gradually restored power, aided by the reconnection of the country’s four nuclear plants, but millions of people were still in the dark after Russian air strikes. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded with Ukrainians to use energy sparingly. “If there is electricity, this doesn’t mean you can turn on several powerful electrical appliances…
California Issues Alert for 9th Day in a Row, Again Requests No Charging of Electric Vehicles
California’s power grid urged customers to conserve energy for the ninth day in a row on Thursday as homes and businesses crank up their air conditioners to escape a brutal heat wave lingering over the drought-stricken region since the start of September. The California Independent System Operator (ISO), the grid operator for most of the…
California Issues Grid Emergency, Says Blackouts Possible
California officials on Labor Day issued a power grid emergency and said blackouts are possible if people don’t cut back enough on electricity usage amid hot weather. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) issued a stage one emergency alert for the grid, starting at 5 p.m. Pacific Time and lasting four hours. Stage one emergencies…
Texas Grid Avoids Summer Blackouts With $1 Billion in Extra Spending
Texas’s electric grid operator has powered through record demand this summer by paying more to keep higher reserves and rewarding industrial consumers to cut usage, a combination that has added more than $1 billion to power fees. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has set new demand records 11 times this summer and twice…
US Solar Prices Soared Over 8 Percent in 2nd Quarter: Report
U.S. solar energy prices rose 8.1 percent in the second quarter as projects were stalled by a Commerce Department investigation into tariffs on products from Southeast Asia and soaring input costs, according to a report published late on Wednesday. The increase during the period contributed to a whopping 29.7 percent rise in the combined price…
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