electricity

After Days Of Mass Outages, Some Texas Residents Now Face Huge Electricity Bills

3:09pm February 21, 2021

by Rebecca Hersher

Texas allows companies to sell electricity at wholesale prices. When the price of electricity skyrocketed last week, that meant exorbitant bills for many residents who had been trying to save money.

Economy

Duke Energy Sees Big End Of Year Profits

4:49pm February 14, 2020

by David Ford

Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the U.S., providing electricity to nearly 8-million retail customers, and natural gas to roughly 1.5 million more.

The Blue Lake Rancheria microgrid powers a number of buildings on the reservation and helped provide necessary energy during county-wide power outages.

Environment

California Reservation's Solar Microgrid Provides Power During Utility Shutoffs

8:26am January 11, 2020

by Erik Neumann

California utility PG&E continues planned power outages to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires. One Native tribe's solar-powered microgrid is proving to be a lifeline for rural communities.

Environment

NC Plant Turns Poultry Waste Into Electricity

4:45pm December 10, 2019

by Keri Brown

Duke Energy and other utilities are investing in more home-grown energy sources. This new addition will come from poultry waste.

An employee walks past a power plant's electricity pylons in Lagos, Nigeria. Power shortages are particularly a problem for Nigeria's booming tech industry, which accounts for nearly 14% of the country's GDP.

Health & Safety

The Powerlessness Of Nigeria's Tech Startups

10:00am November 24, 2019

by Tim McDonnell

The big problem for these booming businesses isn't staff shortages, government regulations or software glitches. It's all about the electrical grid.

Earlier this month, California utility PG&E shut down power for about 800,000 customers in north and central California. The move was meant to prevent wildfires caused by their equipment during high winds.

Are Blackouts The Future For California?

7:28pm October 21, 2019

by Lauren Sommer

Residents are wondering whether widespread power outages are the future and whether they're the only way to prevent wildfires. New technology may help prevent them if utilities are willing to invest.

Queue Listen Now

A historical sign memorializes the March 28, 1979, partial meltdown at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant.

National

Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Shuts Down

3:16pm September 20, 2019

by Brett Sholtis

The plant is best known for the partial meltdown of one of its nuclear reactors in 1979. The remaining reactor stopped producing electricity on Friday. Decommissioning the site will take decades.

A woman prepares milk bottles Sunday using candles at her home in Montevideo during a power cut.

World News

Millions In Argentina And Uruguay Without Electricity After Power Failure

5:06pm June 16, 2019

by Daniella Cheslow

Argentina's main energy company says it is gradually restoring power after the massive failure halted trains and darkened homes and traffic lights.

T.K. Thorne says the $20 monthly solar fee she pays to Alabama Power will double the time it will take to pay off her rooftop solar system.

To Some Solar Users, Power Company Fees Are An Unfair Charge

5:11pm June 02, 2019

by Julia Simon

Alabama has some of highest solar fees in the U.S. and critics say it's hurting solar customers. It's one of several states where utilities are proposing or raising fees for homes with rooftop solar.

Politics & Government

North Carolina Fight For Dams, Control Of Yadkin River Fizzling Out

3:29pm January 24, 2019

by Associated Press

North Carolina's decade-long battle to control water from one of the state's largest rivers and hydroelectricity that once powered a factory employing 1,000 is winding down after a federal appeals