electric grid

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Puerto Rico Gets the Lights Turned Back on

Power restored for 98.8% of residents after an island-wide blackout on Wednesday

(Newser) - Power was restored to 98.8% of customers early Friday after an island-wide blackout hit Puerto earlier this week, authorities said. More than 1.45 million customers had electricity less than 48 hours after the outage hit, according to Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution of power on...

Neo-Nazi Convicted of Plotting to Attack Power Grid

His female co-conspirator had already pleaded guilty

(Newser) - One of the people charged with planning an attack on Maryland's power grid in a scheme linked to neo-Nazis was convicted Monday of conspiracy to damage an energy facility. Brandon Russell, 29, the founder of a neo-Nazi group based in Florida, was accused of coming up with the plan...

Heat Dome Takes 3-Digit Temperatures to Texas, Testing Grid

Forecasters warn residents can expect little relief at night

(Newser) - A heat dome inflicting extreme temperatures on southwestern states arrived in Texas on Wednesday, prompting warnings of the danger to residents as the grid hits record demand. The same dome brought almost 90 straight days of three-digit highs to Phoenix. In central Texas, the National Weather Service predicted an extended...

Texas Is Going to Need a Lot More Power Soon

It will need to provide almost double by 2030, according to state utility's latest prediction

(Newser) - Texas has had its share of power grid woes, and it may soon have more issues to contend with. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the state's main power grid operator, has issued an updated prediction on the state's future power needs, and it's a...

Russia Unleashes 'Massive' Attack on Ukraine's Power Grid

Russia sent barrage of missiles and explosive drones overnight

(Newser) - Russian forces unleashed a nighttime barrage of 55 missiles and 21 explosive Shahed drones at Ukraine's power grid on Wednesday, in what President Zelensky called a "massive" attack. The Ukrainian air force said it managed to down 39 of the missiles and 20 of the drones, but the...

Battery Test Could Inform Our 'Electrification Road Map'

Pilot program will see batteries, heat pumps installed in 2K Massachusetts homes

(Newser) - Our electricity needs are set to boom in the near-term, thanks in large part to the expected shift to electric vehicles in need of regular charging. The Biden administration also has aggressive clean-energy goals, ones that the Department of Energy in October said would require America's network of transmission...

Real Goal in Attack on Substations Was Theft: Officials

Court filing says men knocked out power, then broke into a business

(Newser) - The attack on electrical substations in Pierce County, Wash., that left thousands of customers without power on Christmas Day was cover for a burglary attempt, sheriff's officials said. Two men were arrested over the weekend, and court documents say investigators think they knocked out the power as part of...

Puerto Rico's 'Fragile' Grid Sees Major Blackout After Fire

More than 1 million customers are without power across the island

(Newser) - More than a million customers in Puerto Rico remained without electricity on Thursday after a fire at a main power plant caused the biggest blackout so far this year across the US territory, forcing it to cancel classes and shutter government offices. The blackout also left some 160,000 customers...

Hush-Hush Tesla Project Plugs Texas Into 'Mega-Battery'

Elon Musk's company reportedly has secret power supply set up after electric grid failed last month

(Newser) - Elon Musk has inserted himself into electric cars , space travel , artificial intelligence , and cryptocurrency , so why not take a dive into the US utilities arena? That's apparently what's happening in Texas, where Musk's Tesla is said to have secretly set up a "mega-battery" outside Houston after...

US Sends Russia a Scary Cyber-Message

US Cyber Command is planting malware in Russian electrical grids, officials say

(Newser) - If Russia is plunged into darkness one day, Washington may well be behind it—or so US officials are telling the New York Times . In a strategic shift, the US military's Cyber Command is planting malware in Russia's electrical grid to offset the threat that Russia can do...

Warning About Russia: They Can 'Shut the Power Off'
Warning About Russia:
They Can 'Shut the Power Off'
the rundown
Mar 16, 2018 11:30 AM CDT

Warning About Russia: They Can 'Shut the Power Off'

US says hackers have gained entry to power plants, including nuclear facilities

(Newser) - A US security alert on Thursday contained a jarring warning: Russia has infiltrated the US energy grid and could wreak havoc if it chose to do so. "They have the ability to shut the power off," an exec with the digital security firm Symantec tells the New York ...

US Sanctions Russians, Warns of Cyberthreat to Energy Grid

Mnuchin says US won't tolerate 'malign Russian cyber activity'

(Newser) - The Trump administration is imposing sanctions on 19 Russians for alleged interference in the 2016 election, including 13 indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller. The penalties also include the first use of new powers that Congress passed last year to punish Moscow for election meddling. Those targets include officials working...

As US Electricity Use Stalls, Utilities Scramble

Household use to expand just 0.7% per year: feds

(Newser) - Sure, you're attached at the hip to your iPad and like to crank your air conditioner, but electricity guzzling isn't what it used to be in the US. In the middle of the 20th century, electricity use grew about 8% yearly; now, it's set to expand just...

Google Funding Wind Power 'Superhighway'

$5B project will clear the way for future wind farms

(Newser) - Google is kicking in a major portion of the funding for a massive wind power project off the mid-Atlantic coast. The search king is investing in a 350-mile underwater cable network that will serve as a backbone for future wind farms, the New York Times reports. Google and renewable energy...

'Solar Katrina' Could Blindside Us
 'Solar Katrina' 
 Could Blindside Us 
OPINION
Aug 17, 2010 12:05 AM CDT

'Solar Katrina' Could Blindside Us

Senate needs to act to protect power grid

(Newser) - America is woefully underprepared for a looming natural disaster with the potential to be much worse than Hurricane Katrina, warns disaster expert Lawrence E. Joseph. Scientists believe a solar storm of a size not seen since 1921 is likely to hit the earth after solar activity picks up in 2012,...

IBM Bets on Water 'Smart Grid'
 IBM Bets on Water 'Smart Grid' 
Sep 4, 2009 11:07 AM CDT

IBM Bets on Water 'Smart Grid'

(Newser) - IBM is developing a set of water grid technologies, designed to revamp the world’s badly outdated fresh water delivery systems in much the same way many countries are trying to upgrade their energy grids, CNET reports. IBM projects the water management business could be worth $20 billion within 5...

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