

There’s never been a better time to invest in onsite power solutions–for the first time in US history, onsite power generation is cheaper than the utility. Yet upgrading the US power grid is estimated to cost in the trillions of dollars.įor smart businesses, then, onsite solutions to power outages make more sense than waiting for the federal government to overhaul the infrastructure in the power grid. Replacement could be better prepared to withstand severe weather, but also better protected against potential cyber attack. Some of the US power grid dates back to the earliest onset of electricity. The report and the Pew research both also acknowledge an aging infrastructure as part of the problem. The Causes of Power OutagesĪ report by the US Department of Energy site weather-related power outages as the leading cause of power outages in the United States. In an increasingly global market, reduced power impacts production across the globe, not just in a local utility area.

Delayed, inconvenienced or missed business opportunity.Outages to a business do more than just halt production temporarily. In some areas, intentional brownouts help utilities avoid rolling blackouts - mandated reductions in energy consumption to help meet the needs of the entire energy grid for that area. Blackout – A complete loss of power to an area, from minutes to hours or even days, depending on the cause and utility.Brownout – A reduction or restriction in available power to an area, also known as a voltage slump.Power outage estimates also may not include brownout numbers. Outages cost an average of about $18 billion to $33 billion per year in the United States. Here’s a look at why, and what to do about it. At this point, the United States “experiences more electric outages than any other developed nation,” according to a report from the non-profit Pew Charitable Trusts. Yet, power outages in the United States have been on the rise for more than a decade. Living in a developed nation, we depend upon electricity for everything–from breakfast to bedtime and recharging our devices while we sleep.
