Electricity News

Tens of millions hit by Indonesia power blackout

By AFP

Jakarta - Tens of millions of people on Indonesia's heavily populated Java island were affected by a widespread electricity outage Sunday after the state utility PLN reported disruptions at several power plants.

Tensions surge over Serbia's small hydropower plants

By AFP

Deep in the isolated forests of eastern Serbia a digger gouges a channel through the trees for a pipeline to siphon river water, as the coal-reliant country's efforts to clean up its energy habit triggers a hydro "gold rush".

Venezuela limps back to normal after another blackout

By AFP

Caracas - Electricity has been restored in all of Caracas and several other regions of Venezuela after a major blackout, the government said Tuesday -- the latest taste of misery for a country mired in economic crisis.

Caracas, other parts of Venezuela hit by power cut

By AFP

Caracas - Caracas and other parts of crisis-wracked Venezuela were hit by a massive power cut on Monday, AFP journalists and internet users said.

Huge fire erupts at power station outside Moscow

By AFP

Moscow - A blaze raged for hours at a gas-fired power station outside Moscow Thursday, killing a worker overseeing a substation and damaging a nearby warehouse, office building and hostel, emergency services said.

Power outage hits Venezuela's largest refinery complex: lawmaker

By AFP

Caracas - Venezuela's largest refinery complex has been hit by a power outage, at a time of acute fuel shortages in parts of the crisis-torn oil producer, an opposition lawmaker said Sunday.

Argentina, Uruguay restore power after massive blackout

By AFP

Buenos Aires - Electricity services have been restored to all of Argentina and Uruguay following a massive blackout that left around 48 million people without power on Sunday, authorities said.

Massive power outage hits Argentina, Uruguay: power companies

By AFP

Buenos Aires - A massive outage blacked out Argentina and Uruguay on Sunday, leaving both South American countries without electricity, power companies said.

New device uses nano-tech to create electricity from snowfall

By Tim Sandle

Researchers have devised a nanogenerator that can use snowfall to generate electricity, thereby providing an alternative form of power for a new generation of wearables. In addition the device can function as a weather station.

Top Venezuela court tightens noose on opposition chief Guaido

By AFP

Caracas - Venezuela's Supreme Court called Monday for Juan Guaido to be stripped of his legislative immunity, tightening the noose on the opposition chief just days after authorities announced a ban on him holding public office.

Venezuela returns to 'Middle Ages' during power outages

By AFP

Caracas - Walking for hours, making oil lamps, bearing water. For Venezuelans today, suffering under a new nationwide blackout that has lasted days, it's like being thrown back to life centuries ago.

Maduro blames 'terrorists' as new blackout grips Venezuela

By AFP

Caracas - President Nicolas Maduro blamed "terrorists" for a new, near-nationwide blackout that gripped Venezuela Tuesday, two weeks after a similar outage caused deaths and chaos.

New blackout hits swaths of Venezuela including Caracas

By AFP

Caracas - A new blackout hit many regions in Venezuela including much of Caracas on Monday, sowing alarm two weeks after a nationwide outage that paralyzed the country.

Maduro creates military unit to protect public service installations

By AFP

Caracas - Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro created a military unit on Friday charged with protecting basic installations and services such as electricity and water just over a week after the country was hit with a massive blackout.

China offers Venezuela help to restore power

By AFP

Bejing - China on Wednesday offered to help Venezuela as it faces a crippling multi-day power blackout that President Nicolas Maduro has blamed on the United States.

Venezuelan 'cyber-attack' possible but unlikely, experts say

By AFP

Caracas - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government has accused the United States of "cyber sabotage" to knock out the country's central hydroelectric complex and leave the nation largely without electricity since Thursday afternoon.

Lights go out on Venezuela's kidney patients

By AFP

Caracas - Alfredo Quintero's kidneys failed five years ago, so he needs dialysis three times a week just to stay alive.But Venezuela's massive power outage that caused chaos in the South American country left Quintero in a panic, with dry mouth and nausea.

Race against time in blackout-hit Venezuela to save food stocks

By AFP

Caracas - Vicente Fernandez has not opened his freezer since the massive blackout began in Venezuela on Thursday. He wants to try to save everything that's in there, but he's starting to worry.

Guaido calls for march on Caracas as Venezuela blackout drags on

By AFP

Caracas - Venezuela's embattled President Nicolas Maduro grappled Sunday with a crippling power outage and mounting protests as a top White House aide said members of the country's military were talking about possibly shifting allegiance to the opposition.

Chaos as machines fail, patients die, in Venezuela blackout

By AFP

Caracas - Venezuela's nationwide blackout left large areas of the country in chaos on Friday, crippling day-to-day functioning of hospitals and other public services.

Venezuela struggles with blackout as government claims sabotage

By AFP

Caracas - Venezuela's government struggled to cope Friday with a massive electricity blackout that paralyzed much of the country as President Nicolas Maduro blamed the chaos on US sabotage.

S.Africa power cuts darken ANC's election outlook

By AFP

Johanesburg - Power outages across South Africa this week have blown up into the biggest political threat facing President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ruling ANC party three months away from elections, analysts say.

Blue sky at night lights up social media in New York

By AFP

New York - An alien invasion? The Rapture? The sky flashed an eerie blue over New York City on Thursday night and social media users feared the worst.Extraterrestrial activity was a leading theory: "IM SORRY WHAT???? THE SKY JUST TURNED BLUE????

Iraq seeks power revamp to head off sanctions, protests

By AFP

Baghdad - Iraq's broken electricity sector is planning a long-awaited overhaul to both meet US pressure to halt Iranian power imports and head off summertime protests over chronic cuts.

New solar cell generates hydrogen and electricity simultaneously

By Tim Sandle

As part of the quest for efficient renewable energy, researchers have generated hydrogen for fuel cells through artificial photosynthesis. The new device is a hybrid photoelectrochemical and voltaic cell.

Bacteria in the human gut generate electricity

By Tim Sandle

An interesting discovery has been made about several species of bacteria that inhabit the human intestines and which constitute part of the human microbiome. These organisms have been shown to generate electricity.

California commits to 100% clean electricity by 2045

By AFP

Los Angeles - California Governor Jerry Brown signed landmark legislation Monday committing his state to a 100 percent clean electricity grid by 2045.

California commits to 100% clean electricity by 2045: governor

By AFP

Los Angeles - California Governor Jerry Brown signed landmark legislation Monday committing his state to a 100 percent clean electricity grid by 2045.

Caracas plunges into massive blackout

By AFP

Caracas - Huge parts of sprawling metropolitan Caracas plunged into dark on Sunday for about 45 minutes, in the fourth such blackout in just over a month.The loss of power hit nearby towns such as La Guaira.

Power cut, water shortage on Greek holiday isle Hydra

By AFP

Atenas - The Greek holiday island of Hydra was without electricity on Sunday, leading to water shortages as the authorities and energy company Dedie scrambled to resume the power supply.