Utilities can turn off power to reduce the risk that their equipment could spark wildfires during extreme weather events.
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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.
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.
Low-income communities often have a longer wait for electricity to come back after outages.
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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.
South Africa’s Kusile coal-fired power station in Mpumalanga.
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Will Gorman, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Bentham Paulos, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Galen Barbose, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
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.
Climate change has a clear link to rising foodborne illnesses. Blackouts during heat waves and wildfires are a growing part of the problem.
Lake Powell’s water level has been falling amid a two-decade drought. The white ‘bathtub ring’ on the canyon walls marks the decline.
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Could this disaster have been avoided? And under climate change, how can we prepare for more events like this?
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Pine Tree Wind Farm and Solar Power Plant in Tehachapi, Calif., 115 miles from LA.
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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.
Electric service trucks line up after a snow storm in Fort Worth, Texas, on Feb. 16, 2021.
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There will be more weather-driven disasters like February’s deep freeze in Texas, and energy planners aren’t prepared.
Howard and Nena Mamu eat dinner at their home in Hutto, Texas during blackouts on Feb 16, 2021.
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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.
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.