power grid Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Two Puyallup men charged in connection with Christmas Day substation attacks

By Lauren Gallup January 4, 2023

Electrical substation image courtesy of the Pierce County sheriff department's blotter.

Two men appeared in the U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Tuesday on charges relating to attacks on four Piece County electric substations. Matthew Greenwood and Jeremy Crahan were arrested over the weekend and have both been charged with conspiracy to damage energy facilities. That charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.Read More

What Does It Cost To Charge An EV At Home And Will The Grid Handle It?

By Dori Luzzo Gilmour September 30, 2022

Flickr Creative Commons:rudisillart Listen (Runtime 1:44) Read Both Washington and California have set aggressive goals to ban the sale of new gas powered vehicles over the next 10 to 15 […]Read More

It’s Not Just Texas. The Energy Grid Needs An Upgrade – Including In The Northwest

By NPR News February 28, 2021

Electrical grid transmission towers in Pasadena, Calif. Major power outages from extreme weather have risen dramatically in the past two decades. CREDIT: John Antczak/AP

The Texas blackout is another reminder that more frequent, climate-driven extreme weather puts stress on the country's electricity grid. It came just months after outages in California aimed at preventing wildfires. Compounding this, electricity likely will be even more important in coming years amid a push to electrify cars and homes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Read More

The Power Is Back On In Texas. Now Comes The Recovery, And It Won’t Be Cheap

By Scott Leadingham February 27, 2021

A worker fixes a water pipe in Galveston, Texas, on Feb. 19. The power is back on in much of the state, but the Lone Star State now faces the hefty cost of emerging from its devastating storms. Thomas Shea/AFP via Getty Images

LISTEN BY CAMILA DOMONOSKE For Texas, it’s looking like a daunting power bill. The Lone Star State racked up tens of billions of dollars in electricity expenses, as a free-wheeling […]Read More

Energy Secretary Granholm: Texas Outages Show Need For Changes To U.S. Power Systems

By NPR News February 26, 2021

Jennifer Granholm is sworn in as energy secretary Thursday. Granholm told NPR that pivoting to a clean energy economy could ensure a dependable grid and help create jobs. Andrew Harnik/AP

Newly confirmed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm seized on the bruising winter weather that left millions of Texans without heat and electricity last week to press for reform of the state's power systems, arguing that pivoting to a clean energy economy can ensure a dependable grid and help create jobs.Read More

Millions Still Without Power As Winter Storm Wallops Texas

By NPR News February 17, 2021

A man walks his dog downtown after a snowstorm this week in Fort Worth, Texas. The winter storm has brought historic cold weather and power outages to more than two dozen states, with a mix of freezing temperatures and precipitation. Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Heavy snowfall, ice storms and bitter temperatures continue to put an enormous strain on the state's power grid. This as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages roughly 75% of the Texas power grid, announced Wednesday morning that some 600,000 households had power restored overnight.Read More