Tag: blackouts
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California is scrambling to avoid blackouts. Your refrigerator could help
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Sometime next summer, there’s a decent chance a heat wave will bake the American West, and California’s power grid will again be stretched to its limits. As the sun sets, solar panels will start generating less electricity even as temperatures remain high. Power plants that burn natural gas will fire up…
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California is rushing to add solar power. Did recent blackouts just shade state’s green future?
Credit: CC0 Public Domain They sit on oceanfront property in Southern California, a fleet of aging gas-fired power plants that not only pollute the air but also kill sea lions and other marine life. They’re also capable of powering up to 2.8 million homes. Until now, these nine generating units were facing a shutdown by…