Category

Weather

Article, Consumer, Energy, Utilities and Providers, Weather

Improvements help utilities respond quicker to hurricane storm damage

October 17, 2016

Hurricane Sandy dealt a devastating blow to the U.S. in 2012, leaving about $70 billion in damages, 147 people dead and millions without electricity, mostly in New York and New Jersey. The impact on the electric grid from Sandy’s storm surge and high winds on the Atlantic coast prompted utility executives and government officials to work more closely than ever to find new ways of coordinating their resources and strengthening infrastructure in response to storms. Four years later, those efforts are paying off. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Climate, Consumer, Energy, People, Weather

Heat is on, but the power grid is holding

July 26, 2016

The retirement of coal and nuclear power plants in the U.S. over the last few years has raised concerns that the electric power industry might fail to deliver when demand for power heightens — such as during a blistering heat wave. But for the most part, that’s not the case this week as a so-called “heat dome” leaves the eastern and central parts of the U.S. sweltering with temperatures of 95 degrees or more and feeling as though it’s much hotter. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless
Article, Consumer, Economy / Finance, Energy, Utilities and Providers, Weather

Winter of discontent for oil and gas producers

March 13, 2016

U.S. consumers saved substantially on their heating bills this winter, as the country enjoyed its warmest winter ever. But with the first day of spring just a few days away, not everyone is rejoicing. “If you’re a consumer, it’s great. But if you’re the guy responsible for producing the stuff, it’s not. This is a rough time,” said Porter Bennett, a longtime analyst of U.S. energy markets. In fact, Bennett’s firm, Ponderosa Energy, just put out a report whose title sums up the situation confronting oil and gas producers: “Winter of Discontent”. (Read more)

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by Bill Loveless