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Power grid

A Warmer World

Heat strains Texas power grid as population keeps growing

by Elizabeth Trovall
Aug 28, 2023
The state is home to many of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. Add record temperatures, and it's no surprise that the grid is stressed.
This summer, peak demand for the Texas grid is 11,000 megawatts more than it was two years ago.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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A Warmer World

Risk of electricity shortages rises with extreme heat waves

by Samantha Fields
Jun 28, 2023
Supply shortfall caused by spiking demand during extreme summer weather could affect two-thirds of the U.S.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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After a holiday marked by power failures, what's being done to ensure the lights stay on?

by Lily Jamali
Dec 27, 2022
Experts say the country needs more transmission lines to move power from where it’s being generated to where it’s needed.
A sign for a closed bar in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Dec. 24. Millions spent the holidays without power due to extreme cold.
Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images
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Puerto Rico struggles with water for residents — again — in the wake of another hurricane

by Andy Uhler
Sep 23, 2022
What will it take to make sure that Puerto Rico can fix its infrastructure to become more resilient?
This aerial picture taken on September 20, 2022, shows a flooded area in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, after the the power went out with the passage of Hurricane Fiona.
Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images
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Hurricanes Fiona and Maria, 5 years apart, underscore needs of Puerto Rico's grid

by Stephanie Hughes
Sep 19, 2022
Emergency repairs were made after electricity network went down during Maria. But investments in resilience have been slow to come.
A power line battered by Hurricane Fiona. The storm, which hit nearly five years to the day after Hurricane Maria, caused power outages across Puerto Rico.
Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
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How power grids can be more resilient to climate change's effects

by Samantha Fields
Sep 8, 2022
In the West, drought and fire can unite to put extra stress on the grid.
The power grid in California has held up under the test of a heatwave for now.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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What might new leadership at ERCOT mean for the troubled Texas power grid?

by Andy Uhler
Aug 16, 2022
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas' new CEO has experience working under a different power pricing model — a capacity market.
Texas operates an energy-only electricity market, which means energy producers only get paid when they generate, and there’s usually not a lot of electricity on standby.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Texas power grid operator asks customers to limit afternoon AC use

by Andy Uhler
Jul 11, 2022
With temperatures in triple digits in much of the state, air conditioning is creating heavy demand on a system that has had problems in the past.
With temperatures in the triple digits across the state, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is urging customers to conserve energy when possible.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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A Warmer World

Grid operators struggle with volume of connection requests from renewables

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Feb 7, 2022
The number of proposed solar projects has spiked as costs have declined, but the transmission system can't accommodate them.
Energy experts say grids are not prepared for the tidal wave of renewable energy coming their way.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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What we get wrong about the energy grid

by Andy Uhler and Erika Soderstrom
Dec 28, 2021
We should focus on changing demand for electric power when planning for the future.
During a period of extreme cold in February, people took shelter at a store in Houston that was transformed into a warming station. The drop in temperature caused a widespread and prolonged power outage.
Photo by Go Nakamura/Getty Images
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