electricity

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Sky-High Texas Power Bills Will Be Forgiven

Some customers got bills for thousands of dollars after February crisis

(Newser) - Electricity customers in Texas who received astronomically high bills after last month's devastating blackouts won't have to worry about paying them, and those who have already paid all or part of the bills might be getting some money back, officials say. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says electricity...

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...

Another Head Rolls After Texas Blackouts

ERCOT board votes to fire Bill Magness

(Newser) - Another head has rolled following the devastating blackouts blamed for dozens of deaths in Texas. Bill Magness was fired as president and CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state's independent power grid, after an emergency board meeting Wednesday night, CNN reports. ERCOT says Magness...

In Texas, a Dire Situation for Hospitals
Amid Texas Chaos,
a New Calamity
Feb 18, 2021 6:49 AM CST

Amid Texas Chaos, a New Calamity

Hospitals are running out of water

(Newser) - The chaos in Texas amid freezing weather that has left millions in the cold and dark has made its way to the state's hospitals. One issue that has caused things to become especially dire at medical centers: a lack of running water, resulting in problems ranging from low water...

He Recalled His Winter With No Heat. Out Came His Wallet

Florida businessman ponies up $4.6K to pay off utility bills for 36 families

(Newser) - When Michael Esmond saw the Dec. 26 due date on his utility bill, he had a flashback to 1983. "My gas was shut off, and we had no heating for the whole winter," one of the coldest ever in Florida, the 73-year-old father of three tells CNN . Indeed,...

Electric Eel Keeps This Aquarium's Christmas Tree Lit

Miguel Wattson is providing the juice for seasonal lights at the Tennessee Aquarium

(Newser) - Visitors to the Tennessee Aquarium may be shocked to learn that an electric eel named Miguel Wattson is lighting up a Christmas tree, per the AP . A special system connected to Miguel's tank enables his shocks to power strands of lights on a nearby tree, according to a news...

PG&E Warns of 'Extreme Measure' Amid High Winds

Utility may be shutting off power to 2 million people in Northern California on Saturday night

(Newser) - More than 2 million people in Northern California may be without power Saturday night in a planned blackout meant to fend off wildfires. The Los Angeles Times reports that this anticipated move by Pacific Gas and Electric, which would affect 36 counties, is due to high winds forecast for the...

In Unprecedented Move, Power Shut Off in California Amid Fire Fears

45mph wind gusts predicted in Northern California

(Newser) - Northern California's biggest utility has shut off power to tens of thousands of customers in an unprecedented step to prevent wildfires amid rising winds and official warnings of extreme fire danger, the AP reports. Pacific Gas & Electric began turning off the lights in California's wine country and...

Calif. Makes Big Move on 'Existential' Climate Threat

Golden State will run on 100% clean energy by 2045

(Newser) - With ambitious new goals to eliminate fossil fuels from its electricity system and slash greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2045, California is headed "in the right direction" while the Trump administration and others lag behind, Gov. Jerry Brown said Monday. "California has been doing stuff that the...

Woman on Oxygen Tank Dies After Utility Cuts Electricity

Great-grandmother Linda Daniels was in hospice care in New Jersey for congestive heart failure

(Newser) - At 10am on Thursday, Linda Daniels' oxygen tank stopped; by 4:30pm, she had drawn her last breath. The reason for the New Jersey great-grandmother's death, per her family: PSE&G turned off her electricity due to an unpaid bill. Per NJ.com , relatives of Daniels, who was in...

After $3.8B Spend, Puerto Rico Power Grid Still 'Highly Fragile'

It's almost certain to collapse in the next hurricane

(Newser) - After an eight-month, $3.8 billion federal effort to try to end the longest blackout in United States history, officials say Puerto Rico's public electrical authority, the nation's largest, is almost certain to collapse again when the next hurricane hits this island of 3.3 million people. "...

New Problem in Puerto Rico: Energy Firm Puts Its Foot Down

Whitefish Energy says it won't fulfill remainder of work unless it gets the $83M it's owed

(Newser) - The Montana energy company that set up a controversial, since-canceled contract to help restore Puerto Rico's power after Hurricane Maria had agreed to work through Nov. 30 before heading out. But now it's stopping work altogether, claiming the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority owes it upward of $83...

Report: Energy Company in Puerto Rico Jacking Up the Tab

Contractors for Whitefish Energy making up to $100 an hour, but Whitefish is billing $319

(Newser) - Called an "unusual" arrangement right from the start, a Montana energy company working in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria is now raising eyebrows even higher. The New York Times reports Florida linemen hired as contractors by Whitefish Energy are making up to $100 an hour with double time, which,...

Tesla Restores Power at Puerto Rico Children's Hospital

Company builds massive solar array in parking lot

(Newser) - Puerto Rico is still struggling weeks after two powerful hurricanes last month—the territory's Electric Power Authority said Wednesday morning that power service was at 25%—but, thanks to Tesla, electricity has been restored at a San Juan children's hospital. The company used its solar panels and batteries...

Satellite Photo Shows How Bleak It Is in Puerto Rico
As Puerto Rico Cries Out,
Trump Brings Up Its Debt
the rundown
Sep 26, 2017 1:53 PM CDT

As Puerto Rico Cries Out, Trump Brings Up Its Debt

'We need more help,' says governor

(Newser) - President Trump plans to visit Puerto Rico next Tuesday to see for himself the devastation of Hurricane Maria. At an afternoon news conference, Trump promised that the federal government is "doing everything we can" to help, reports CNN . "All available federal resources, including the military, are being marshaled...

Wind, Solar Power Just Hit a US Milestone

For first time, nation draws 10% of electricity from wind and solar

(Newser) - Double digits: A new report from the US Energy Information Administration reveals a milestone for alternative energy sources. For the first time, the nation as a whole drew 10% of its electricity from wind and solar farms in a single month, reports Climate Central . It happened in March, with wind...

Conn. Pastor Accused of Not-So-Holy Crime

William Marshall allegedly stole electricity

(Newser) - The man upstairs was apparently unwilling to send down a lightning bolt to help a pastor in Connecticut, who's accused of stealing more than $8,000 in electricity. William Marshall of Life Worship and Deliverance Center in Bridgeport also runs a tattoo parlor/barbershop that had its power cut in...

Town-Wide Power Surge Fries Gadgets, Bulbs, Even Siding

Brookville, Pa., started getting a lot of calls about things on fire, smoking

(Newser) - The 911 calls started pouring in just after noon in the tiny Pennsylvania town of Brookville. The electrical meter is on fire. The house siding is burning. My power strip is smoking. The computer is fried. The carpeting is singed. Our light bulb exploded. A power company says a failed...

SCOTUS Rules for Obama Energy-Savings Program

Justices ruled 6-2 for federal program paying large customers to conserve energy

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has upheld a four-year-old federal program that pays large electric customers to save energy during times of peak demand. The justices ruled 6-2 on Monday that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has the authority to issue directives aimed at conserving energy and preventing blackouts. Writing for the...

Our Xmas Lights Use More Power Than Some Countries

And they only account for 0.2% of US consumption

(Newser) - America's Christmas lights, even those that don't rival the Griswolds' , guzzle a staggering amount of electricity when compared to power use overall in other countries, according to researchers at the Center for Global Development . The festive lights use around 6.6 billion kilowatt-hours a year, according to the...

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