Fuel-related electricity blackouts have risen in recent years, and reports from energy industry analysts and regulators highlight the growing reliance on natural gas as a culprit because of the potential for distribution disruptions. Power outages from fuel scarcity or supply disruptions are a relative rarity compared to weather disruptions of electricity lines. Up until 2010, there were never more than three reported electricity disturbances in the U.S. per year caused by a disruption of fuels, according to numbers from a Department of Energy database. But since 2010, those numbers have doubled on average alongside large-scale weather events like hurricanes and severe cold fronts with a record 17 incidents in 2014 alone because of the drastic cold temperatures during the polar vortex.
Natural Gas Reliance Driving Resiliency Concerns
Natural Gas Reliance Driving Resiliency…
Natural Gas Reliance Driving Resiliency Concerns
Fuel-related electricity blackouts have risen in recent years, and reports from energy industry analysts and regulators highlight the growing reliance on natural gas as a culprit because of the potential for distribution disruptions. Power outages from fuel scarcity or supply disruptions are a relative rarity compared to weather disruptions of electricity lines. Up until 2010, there were never more than three reported electricity disturbances in the U.S. per year caused by a disruption of fuels, according to numbers from a Department of Energy database. But since 2010, those numbers have doubled on average alongside large-scale weather events like hurricanes and severe cold fronts with a record 17 incidents in 2014 alone because of the drastic cold temperatures during the polar vortex.