power outages

power outages

10 weirdest power outages ever

While big storms — winter blizzards, severe summer thunderstorms and hurricanes — are the leading cause of power outages, a host of other factors can also lead to grid failures, darkened homes, dead computers and cold showers. Some of the strangest causes ever include: 1. A 1981 trash fire at a Utah

power outages

What a smart grid doesn't look like

“Heat-related underground cable failures.” They’re the type of problem that can take out power for thousands or tens of thousands of electricity customers when people need it most: during oppressively hot weather that quickly turns non-air-conditioned offices and apartments into Easy-Bake Ovens. A Pepco failure of that sort, for