Nuclear threats are serious – but officials, the media and the public keep a close eye on them. There’s less attention to the dangers of cyberattacks, which could cripple key utilities.
Demand response sounds good, but is punishingly difficult to execute.
Matthew Henry/Unsplash
Proposed rules for managing energy demand could potentially lower prices and reduce blackout risk, but there are reasons to be skeptical.
Global investors are already mobilizing capital to take advantage of investment opportunities in climate-smart infrastructure, emissions-reducing technology and updated electricity grids.
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Solar and wind can’t deliver power on demand. But overbuilding solar and wind, and simply dumping unneeded energy, would go a long way to smoothing out those bumps, study finds.
In a power outage, some lights are on, but others are not.
Felix Lipov/Shutterstock.com
Electric utilities have a right to make money on their government-granted monopolies, but customers also have a right to know what cyber-protections they would get if they paid more.
Chicago’s Lake Michigan waterfront froze during the 2019 polar vortex.
AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato
A year ago, the world’s largest lithium-ion battery began dispatching power to South Australia’s grid. It has been a remarkable success but there are some concerns that have so far escaped scrutiny
With the right settings, Labor’s new scheme could benefit householders as well as the grid itself.
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Federal Labor has promised to give rebates of up to $2,000 to 100,000 households to install batteries to store power from solar panels. Is this good energy policy, or just middle-class welfare?
There could be much clearer skies ahead for energy policy if states take the reins.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
The federal government is primarily to blame for the mess that is Australia’s energy policy. It’s time for the states to step up, to reduce both prices and emissions.
Mark Olsthoorn, Grenoble École de Management (GEM); Nikolas Wölfing, Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW), and Swaroop Rao, Grenoble École de Management (GEM)
France, Germany and other European countries are increasing their use of renewable energy sources as well as storage solutions to help overcome their intermittent nature.
Motorists and governments have each been waiting for the other to take the plunge on electric cars.
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The announcement of a new fast-charging network to link the major east coast cities will do much to encourage motorists to buy electric cars. But the power utilities need to get on board too.
Energy Secretary and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry checks out a wind turbine.
AP Photo/LM Otero
There are some good explanations for the mismatch between regional support for climate action and the areas where renewable energy is making the biggest inroads.
The Mugga Lane Solar Farm in the ACT is part of a new wave of large-scale renewable energy projects.
AAP Image/Moaneng Australia
Australia could be getting half of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025, even without government subsidies for new wind and solar projects, according to a new analysis of energy industry trends.
Remember, a belt-and-braces power grid doesn’t come cheap.
AAP Image/Brendan Esposito
Sections of the media have talked up the prospects of future power outages, even though the electricity market operator predicts that Australia’s stringent reliability standards will still be met.
The government is now firmly focused on lowering household power bills.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
Australians are angry about electricity prices and both the federal government and opposition are proposing to cap them. Will this approach work, and what are the risks?
A man reads the newspaper by flashlight during the Northeast Blackout in August 2003.
AP Photo/Joe Kohen
As South American countries recover from a massive blackout, the US isn’t immune: The Northeast Blackout of 2003 cut power to 50 million people, and many threats to the electricity grid remain.
The high-voltage lines carrying electricity across the U.S. aren’t the only potential targets.
Rolypolyman
Power utilities’ cybersecurity practices may be effective, but need to evolve over time. And all companies operating elements of the grid – even the small ones – should step up.