Turning off power is a last-ditch strategy for utilities to reduce the risk that their systems could spark wildfires. In most states, deciding whether to take that step is up to utilities.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Blackouts
Displaying 1 - 20 of 35 articles
The event has prompted questions about the reliability of the state’s electricity grid. But it’s important to note these extreme winds would have seriously disrupted any power system.
Researchers tracked power outages after 8 major storms to see how wealth corresponded to recovery time.
Alberta’s experiment with voluntary ‘switching off’ was a success both in terms of saving electricity and in showcasing the power of proactive informed action to address the climate crisis.
When it comes to dependency on coal power plants, South Africa is in a class of its own: 85% of its electricity is produced in coal power plants.
A study of real-world disasters shows home solar and storage could keep the lights on and the air conditioner running during many outages, but not all.
Energy rationing is possible but unlikely.
Climate change has a clear link to rising foodborne illnesses. Blackouts during heat waves and wildfires are a growing part of the problem.
Climate change is affecting hydropower in different ways across the country.
Building even more power poles and transmission lines won’t avert outages when major disasters strike.
Could this disaster have been avoided? And under climate change, how can we prepare for more events like this?
The US electricity grid is actually five regional grids, and it’s hard to share power between them. A macrogrid could bridge the gaps, making electricity cheaper and more reliable.
There will be more weather-driven disasters like February’s deep freeze in Texas, and energy planners aren’t prepared.
But it’s time to make this a right to low carbon energy.
Heat waves, droughts and deep freezes can all strain the electric grid, leading utilities to impose rolling blackouts. Climate change is likely to make these events more common.
Adolescents who had more and more blackouts each year had a much higher risk of developing severe alcohol problems.
Here’s how spinning metal can smooth out the spikes in renewable electricity generation.
The likelihood of half of Victoria being plunged into blackout are low – but the question reveals growing tension between the energy market and its regulators.
The revolution in offshore wind for UK energy supply has begun, but we will need the help of AI and robots to sustain it effectively.
Transitioning to renewable energy will cost us something, but the benefits far outweigh the price.
Top contributors
-
Senior Research Associate, Renewable Energy & Energy Systems Analyst, UNSW Sydney
-
Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University
-
Professorial Fellow at the Centre of Policy Studies and IMPACT Project, Victoria University
-
Professor at the Lancaster Environment Centre and previously co-director of the DEMAND Centre, Lancaster University
-
Professor and Chair, Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
-
Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
-
Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
-
Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute
-
Professor of Economics, University of Sussex Business School, University of Sussex
-
Associate Professor, Smart Systems Group, Heriot-Watt University
-
Honorary Associate Professor, Centre for Climate Economics and Policy, Australian National University
-
Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics and International Affairs, Penn State
-
Josey Centennial Professor of Energy Resources, The University of Texas at Austin
-
Senior Research Fellow, UNSW Sydney
-
Professor and Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
