Power Outages

High voltage power line towers sillhouetted against colorful sunset sky.

Utilities Spending Less on Energy Efficiency Despite Higher Fuel Prices

A survey of major utilities reveals a link between states with strict efficiency standards and incentive programs and efforts to improve efficiency on the part of utilities.

September 20, 2023 - Governing

Solar panels and wind turbines against sunset colors

San Diego to Install Solar ‘Microgrids’

The self-sufficient energy systems will help the city improve its resiliency during power outages.

July 13, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Large power towers sillhouetted against an orange sky

Preparing the Grid for More Intense Heat Waves

As extreme heat becomes more common, the risk of a grid collapse threatens to turn a dangerous situation deadly.

July 2, 2023 - Wired

Texas license plate almost entirely covered by snow

Court Denies Lawsuits Over Texas Power Grid Failure

The state’s Supreme Court ruled the non-profit ERCOT can’t be sued for damages caused during blackouts in the 2021 winter storm.

June 27, 2023 - KUT

Blue portable oxygen medical device with attached clear mask

How Emergency Planning Fails People With Disabilities

In California and elsewhere, power outages can threaten the lives of people dependent on medical devices, while evacuation plans often don’t account for the needs of disabled people.

January 25, 2023 - High Country News

Power lines and towers at a substation against a red sunset backdrop

Disaster Averted!

The California power grid withstood its biggest test ever on Tuesday and passed—barely. The only rolling blackouts that occurred during the Stage Three Energy Emergency alert were results of miscommunication.

September 11, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Diablo Canyon Nuclear

Legislature Extends $1.4 Billion Lifeline to California's Last Operating Nuclear Power Plant

A bipartisan bill, fiercely opposed by many in the environmental community, would keep the Diablo Canyon Power Plant operating beyond 2025. The bill received overwhelming approval after it was amended to shorten the duration of the extension.

September 6, 2022 - CALmatters

Diablo Canyon nuclear plant

Funding Allocated to Extend Life of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant

In order to to ensure that the lights stay on, the California legislature approved allocating up to $75 million to extend the life of the state's sole remaining nuclear plant and four natural gas powered plants, to the chagrin of environmentalists.

July 11, 2022 - CALmatters

electricity infrastructure

How to Make the Texas Electric Grid More Resilient

This year's winter storm and the subsequent damages highlight the urgent need for more resilient energy systems that can outlast increasingly powerful weather events.

September 17, 2021 - Dallas Morning News

Polar Vortex

California-Style Rolling Blackouts Come to Texas

As bad as the power outages are in Texas, they would be much worse if the independent energy grid operator hadn't initiated rolling blackouts. In an extensive interview with CBS Austin, Bill Magness, the head of ERCOT, explains what went wrong.

February 18, 2021 - CBS Austin

California from Space

Massive Power Outages in Northern California as PG&E Avoids Wildfire Risk

Planetizen has collected local and national news on a massive, ongoing environmental and infrastructure story in Northern California. There are maps to keep track of the scope of planned power outages.

October 9, 2019 - The San Francisco Chronicle

This California Jail is Off the Grid

The Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California isn’t your average prison complex. Its independent power system, or microgrid, sets it apart from its peers—and saves an estimated $100,000 a year.

November 3, 2013 - The Atlantic

Regulators Push New Tools for Preventing Massive Blackouts

A decade ago, a power failure in northern Ohio caused a cascading series of outages that knocked out power to 50 million people in the United States and Canada. New tools aim to reduce the chances that such events could happen in the future.

August 2, 2013 - The New York Times

Crumbling concrete bridge

Why Do Americans Put Up With Decaying Infrastructure?

Compared to Europe's high-speed rail, paved roads, and underground power lines, America lags behind with its unreliable trains, potholes, and overhead power lines. Uwe E. Reinhardt questions why Americans put up with the decaying infrastructure.

November 20, 2012 - The New York Times

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