California is cooking in extreme heat, Russia has shut down a key gas pipeline to Europe, and there are changes in the White House with regards to climate and energy. Scroll down below for the updates. Heatwave Breaks Records, Threatens Human Health: Extreme heat shattered records up and down the West … [continued]
It is January 2019, and much of South Australia and Victoria was baking, with maximum temperatures in the low 40s (Celsius). Adelaide hit 46.6°C and Melbourne was not far behind. In between is the tiny rural town of Avenel. Then came the blackout. Twenty six hours without power — medicine … [continued]
Originally published on NRDC Expert Blog. By Noah Long Hot days and climate-fueled disasters are the times we need reliable power the most, yet all too often, that’s when we experience blackouts. Keep reading to learn about why New Mexico is experiencing blackouts, how to prepare and protect your family, and … [continued]
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) isn’t so reliable these days, and it recently announced that it has some tight grid conditions due to many forced generation outages. During the winter storm that froze most of the Deep South, Texas Governor Greg Abbott claimed that frozen wind turbines were … [continued]
Electric Pickups Can’t Carry the Load on Their Own, but They’ll Sure Help
Approximately 700 people were killed by the winter storm, and subsequent collapse of the Texas grid and gas system, in February, a BuzzFeed News investigation reveals. The estimate, calculated by analyzing death counts during and after the storm compared to normal death rates in other years, is four to five … [continued]
The chair of the Texas PUC and other top officials were already worried about gas shortages days before the widespread blackouts that led to the deaths of at least 151 people, E&E News reports. During the blackouts, many leaders in the state blamed renewables and pushed climate denial talking points. … [continued]
Courtesy of Union Of Concerned Scientists. By Mark Specht Chances are that you’ve already heard about the ongoing power outages in Texas and other nearby states. If you haven’t gotten the message already, the situation is dire and totally unprecedented. In the midst of a historic cold snap, electricity demand has outstripped … [continued]
Update: Aside from everything written below, note that 6.5× more natural gas power capacity is offline from the weather than renewable energy capacity. Frozen wind turbines in Texas are causing a huge dip in the state’s power generation capability, reducing available power by almost half. This comes during a record … [continued]
California energy officials said extreme heat fueled by climate change, and poor planning, led to the state’s rolling blackouts in mid-August. The preliminary “root cause analysis,” released Tuesday by the state’s three central energy agencies, acknowledged they failed to adequately plan for the extreme ‘heat storm’ that shattered temperature records across the American West.
