electricity – News Stories About electricity - Page 3

Wind, Solar
Power Just
Hit a US
Milestone

Jun 20, 2017 6:47 AM CDT

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

Feb 2, 2017 11:15 AM CST

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

Jan 29, 2017 7:59 AM CST

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

Jan 25, 2016 10:33 AM CST

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

Dec 24, 2015 1:00 AM CST

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...

Detroit Goes After
Wrong Church for
$170K Electric Bill

Apr 17, 2015 2:12 PM CDT

Detroit Goes After Wrong Church for $170K Electric Bill

City turned off water at Bishop Daryl Harris' house, too

(Newser) - Detroit has had ongoing money issues , but the city may have been overzealous in trying to fill its coffers. Officials issued a mea culpa to Bishop Daryl Harris and his Total Life Christian Ministries church after slapping it with a lawsuit for a $170,000 electric bill, the Detroit ...

Short Circuit at Ukraine Nuclear Plant Cuts Power

Dec 3, 2014 8:56 AM CST

Short Circuit at Ukraine Nuclear Plant Cuts Power

Country is quick to emphasize that there's no danger

(Newser) - A short circuit at a nuclear plant in Ukraine zapped electricity production, but the country was quick to emphasize that the glitch posed no danger, the AP reports. New energy minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn insisted today, per Reuters , that he's doing what he can to speed things up so Ukrainians...

2012 Solar Blast
Nearly Sent Earth
to Stone Age

2012 Solar Blast Nearly Sent Earth to Stone Age

We almost lost electricity, GPS, running water, at least for a while

(Newser) - Imagine life without electricity or running water, and you'll understand what nearly befell our planet two years ago. Scientists say that on July 23, 2012, the sun belched its biggest solar flare in more than 150 years and barely missed us, CBS News reports. A week earlier and the...

70% of Venezuela Goes Dark

Sep 4, 2013 2:40 AM CDT

70% of Venezuela Goes Dark

President Nicolas Maduro blames saboteurs

(Newser) - Activity in Venezuela effectively ground to a halt yesterday, as a blackout plunged 70% of the country into darkness just after noon. Parts of the capital, which the AP reports normally escapes such outages, were affected, rendering traffic lights dark and forcing companies to send thousands of workers home. The...

iPhone Uses
More Power
Than a Fridge

Aug 15, 2013 3:55 PM CDT

iPhone Uses More Power Than a Fridge

While ICT takes 10% of global electricity: report

(Newser) - Is your iPhone running? Better shut it off, because that device is using more energy than your refrigerator. A new report says that a fridge uses just 322 kWh per year, compared with the 361 kWh for an iPhone, if you include its wireless connections, data usage, and battery charges,...

Why Pakistan Made Workers Stop Wearing Socks

Because it's hot, and the electricity grid is a hopeless mess

(Newser) - Just how bad are Pakistan's power grid problems? This bad: The government has ordered civil servants to stop wearing socks, reports Reuters . The weird order goes hand in hand with another edict that forbids government offices from turning on their air-conditioners. That makes things so unbearably hot that the...

Kenya Plunged Into Darkness

May 28, 2013 1:34 PM CDT

Kenya Plunged Into Darkness

Entire nation loses power

(Newser) - The entire nation of Kenya is experiencing a blackout, Reuters reports. The power grid failed today after two transmission lines went down, causing a ripple effect. Kenya Power, the country's only power distributor, says it's attempting "to restore power as quickly as possible." It's not...

Tree Falls,
35% of Vietnam
Loses Power

May 23, 2013 11:37 AM CDT

Tree Falls, 35% of Vietnam Loses Power

Clumsy crane operator plunges country into darkness

(Newser) - One mistake by a clumsy crane operator caused a 10-hour blackout over about a third of Vietnam, exposing the fragility of the nation's power grid. State electricity company EVN said in a statement today that the blackout occurred yesterday after the crane operator knocked a tree down onto the...

Why Tonight's Earth Hour
Is Misguided

OPINION

Mar 23, 2013 11:01 AM CDT

Why Tonight's Earth Hour Is Misguided

Bjorn Lomborg: It's just 'vain symbolism' that sends the wrong message

(Newser) - The annual Earth Hour celebration in which locales and individuals across the world turn off lights at 8:30pm local time is under way once again today. You will not catch Bjorn Lomborg in the dark, however. This gimmicky stunt sends the message that beating global warming is easy and...

Flowers Use Electricity
to Talk With Bees

study says

Feb 22, 2013 9:00 AM CST

Flowers Use Electricity to Talk With Bees

By changing charge, flowers keep away bees until nectar refilled, says study

(Newser) - "Say it with flowers," went the old advertising slogan, but who knew flowers were this talkative? It turns out flowers give off electrical signals that bees can pick up on, telling potential pollinators whether a flower has plenty of nectar or has recently been tapped, reports NPR . According...

Super Bowl Blackout
Explained at Last

Feb 8, 2013 10:44 AM CST

Super Bowl Blackout Explained at Last

Power company takes responsibility

(Newser) - Power company officials revealed today the cause of the infamous Super Bowl blackout , and took full responsibility for it. A faulty relay device designed to prevent a failure in the Superdome's electric cables was apparently to blame, the AP reports. Entergy New Orleans officials said they were replacing the...

As US Electricity
Use Stalls,
Utilities Scramble

Jan 3, 2013 6:12 AM CST

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...

Attacker Breaks Jaw of
Long Island Utility Worker

Nov 13, 2012 1:41 PM CST

Attacker Breaks Jaw of Long Island Utility Worker

Tempers still boiling as thousands remain without power

(Newser) - Nearly 20,000 Long Island residents remained without power as of this morning, reports AP , and a utility worker has paid the price for people's frustration. An assailant got out of his car and sucker-punched John Applewhite as Applewhite headed into a restaurant after a 16-hour shift with the...

Sandy Victim
Powers Home ...
With Prius

Sandy Victim Powers Home ... With Prius

Bob Sakala uses inverter to power lights, TV, computer

(Newser) - Hey, turns out that the Prius is good for more than just saving on gas: Bob Sakala, a New Jersey resident who lost electricity during Hurricane Sandy, managed to power some of the lights in his home as well as his TV, laptop, and modem using only some heavy-duty extension...

Katie Couric:
Perky Face of
Iraq's Spotty
Electricity?

Jul 12, 2012 10:08 AM CDT

Katie Couric: Perky Face of Iraq's Spotty Electricity?

Iraq ministry uses unwitting anchor's face in marketing campaign

(Newser) - Iraq's electricity ministry is trying to put a happy face on its inability to provide adequate power—a very happy face. Around Baghdad, the ministry has erected billboards for its electricity news bulletin, bearing the beaming mug of Katie Couric. No, Couric doesn't have anything to do with...