Lights Out Again?
Months after the stifling blackout last August that crippled eight states and parts of Canada, North America’s aging power grid is still, well, aged, and not much has been done to fix it, according to a recent study by the joint US-Canada Power System Outage Task Force. Now, with summer around the corner, we’re still at risk of having a similar blackout. Congress hasn’t passed any new legislation regulating the power industry, the North American Electric Reliability Council, which oversees the industry’s voluntary blackout prevention, still has no way of penalizing those who don’t comply, and the grid could still experience a new power outage cascade. It’s time for the power industry to get real-time electric grid tracking systems in place while we all wait for government regulation to catch up. Batteries, anyone?
Keep Reading
Most Popular
DeepMind’s cofounder: Generative AI is just a phase. What’s next is interactive AI.
“This is a profound moment in the history of technology,” says Mustafa Suleyman.
What to know about this autumn’s covid vaccines
New variants will pose a challenge, but early signs suggest the shots will still boost antibody responses.
Human-plus-AI solutions mitigate security threats
With the right human oversight, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can help keep business and customer data secure
Next slide, please: A brief history of the corporate presentation
From million-dollar slide shows to Steve Jobs’s introduction of the iPhone, a bit of show business never hurt plain old business.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.