Environment

Extreme heat is turning electricity cutoffs into new political battle for power companies

Published

1 year ago

June 21, 2024

admin

A window air conditioner unit is seen on the side of an apartment building in Arlington, Virginia, July 10, 2023.

Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty Images

If you are in Virginia sweltering and falling behind on your utility bill, you will have additional options to keep the air conditioner humming, but not until July 1. That’s when Virginia joins the small but growing ranks of states protecting disconnects during extreme heat. Such protections have been around for cold weather for decades, but as the global rise in temperatures hits records, advocates say more must be done to shield customers from having utilities cut; often, existing legislation isn’t enough.

Virginia State Senator Lashrecse Aird, (D-Petersburg), a legislative sponsor of the state’s new utility bills law, said her support for the legislation was rooted in her own experience of having utilities disconnected when she was younger. “It was not a pleasant experience,” Aird said. “And I carry that with me.”

Now, she says, the stakes are higher.

“We have to account for extreme heat outside the normal months of the year that are increasingly hotter now,” Aird said. “As long as we continue to fail to address climate change and increased temperatures, we have to be deliberate and intentional,” she said, and she added that implies the need for protective laws. “Our country is on fire; the world is on fire. I predict we will see more places experiencing heat crises and heat emergencies. We need to have these policies in place; that is where we are heading from a pure weather standpoint.”

The Virginia law, which Aird said the utilities “fought tooth and nail,” forbids disconnections when the temperature exceeds 92 degrees. Regardless of temperature, the bill also prohibits power companies from performing utility shutoffs on Fridays, holidays, state holidays, or days immediately preceding a state holiday. Such shutoffs could leave someone without power for a prolonged period while the utility’s customer service office is closed.

“We had to write those in because we found that is what was happening,” Aird said. “They did not want to have the state spell out their process for reconnection. Everyone has a different administrative structure.”

A grim national outlook for power protections

Too many states have no protections from utility company disconnects for consumers, according to David Konisky, a professor in the environmental studies department at Indiana University and director of the Energy Justice Lab, and he says climate change is forcing a new conversation about the issue.

The Energy Justice Lab created a “Disconnect Dashboard” showing utility disconnect data in each state (not every state reports data) and existing shutoff-shielding legislation, if any, in place. Part of making the dashboard was overlaying forecast excessive heat days along with protections that exist or don’t exist and factoring in climate change. The outlook is grim, Konisky says. Nearly three million people have their electricity shut off annually because they cannot afford to pay monthly bills, according to the Energy Justice Lab.

“There are two ways to think about it: how hot is it going to get today, yes, but what is really dangerous is when it does not cool off at night, when you have a persistent period of warm nights, when people are unable to cool their bodies, that is when you have high incidents of heat exhaustion,” Konisky said, adding that lack of cooling like air conditioning exacerbates it.

Legislation like Virginia’s is welcome, but often, the laws don’t go far enough, according to Konisky. They are typically limited to state-regulated power companies (Virginia’s is more expansive than other states’) or have subjective or ambiguous disconnection criteria. Konisky says utility customers must work with them instead of being cut off.

Covid-19 led many states to issue temporary orders during stay-at-home mandates to require power to remain on, but most of these orders have been gradually eliminated. A majority of states (40) have statutory-based utility disconnection protections that cover specific times of year and vulnerable populations, according to the Energy Justice Lab.

As of 2021, 29 states had seasonal protections and 23 had temperature-based disconnection protections, but Konisky’s research shows that these do not fully prohibit disconnections, often putting the onus on customers to demonstrate eligibility for an exemption, such as medical need. Most states (46), plus Washington D.C., give customers the option to set up a payment plan as an alternative to disconnection, though interest may be steep and income-based repayment is not often an option.

Power transmission lines in Hyattsville, Maryland, US, on Monday, June 17, 2024. While summer doesn’t officially start until Thursday, across the US more than 120 daily high temperature records may be broken or tied, with the majority of them in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England, the US Weather Prediction Center said.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

“A lot could be done to make energy more affordable where a shut off is necessary,” Konisky said. “There is creative rate making, payment structures. They need to be more aggressive in offering payment plans, as opposed to shutting off, help customers access energy assistance. There are a lot of activities that would be advisable and preferable before we engage in the practice of shutoffs which can have terrible consequences for people.”

His research shows that power companies disconnect plenty during warm weather. Using publicly available data, he found that Indiana customers, for instance, experienced 50,000 disconnects between June and August 2023. “So they are happening during the very warm months,” Konisky said. “This situation is likely to get worse, particularly in states where we would not have historically worried about it during the summer.”

Heat dome conditions hit more states

One of the states where, historically, one would have not had to worry as much about heat is Oregon. But don’t tell that to residents bracing for 90-degree days this week. When Brandi Tuck, executive director of Portland-based social services organization Path Home, moved to Oregon 20 years ago, the state was known for its temperate climate of mild winters and cool summers. Not anymore.

“We never heard the term ‘heat dome,’” Tuck said, referring to a once-obscure meteorological term that has morphed into a new term for a heat wave.

“As climate change occurs, we are getting hotter and hotter summers, and we get heat domes here. We had one last summer that resulted in deaths; it gets intense,” Tuck said. In 2021, Portland reached a searing 117 degrees during a fierce heatwave. On the other end of the spectrum, Tuck said Oregon is experiencing longer, colder winters. Oregon does have laws in place to protect utility customers during cold snaps, but not during heat waves. “The challenge is we have commodified life-sustaining requirements. We are a first-world development country, but we have commodified things like power, air-conditioning, and lighting,” Tuck said.

Path Home often helps those facing imminent power disconnects. Power cuts in rental properties, Tuck says, are often followed by evictions, and helping with utilities is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent homelessness. As Oregon’s weather swings, Tuck says the power companies cannot be depended on to police themselves.

“We need legislation,” Tuck said.

Disconnects hit the lowest-income people disproportionately hard, and people already struggling to pay their utility bills are often charged a “reconnect fee,” or a deposit after a cutoff. In Ohio, for instance, the utility may require you to pay a deposit of up to one month’s estimated charges plus 30%.

These costs can be a problem for those who get disconnected. Felix Russo, pastor of the New Life Mission in Hamilton, Ohio, says that by the time needy people come to him to help with their utilities, they are usually days away from having their power disconnected. Russo then calls the power companies and tries to negotiate on behalf of the person or tries to match them with a social service agency that can provide funds. But it’s an uphill battle. “All of our systems are strained,” Russo said.

Utilities say electricity cutoffs ‘a last resort’

Power companies insist that disconnections are a last resort and that additional legislation and regulation aren’t needed.

“We understand our customers may face financial hardships throughout the year, so I want to be clear that disconnecting customers for non-payment is an absolute last resort,” said Aaron Ruby, manager of media relations for Dominion Energy, the main power supplier in Virginia. He said that Dominion has numerous bill payment assistance options to help customers avoid disconnections, including budget billing, extended payment plans, EnergyShare bill payment assistance, and home weatherization programs. The EnergyShare program, for example, Ruby said, offers up to $600 a year in heating assistance and $300 a year in cooling assistance for eligible customers.

Ruby said that Dominion Energy has already started complying with the new law, dispelling fears that they would initiate a rash of disconnections before July 1.

“Disconnects for nonpayment were suspended Tuesday and Wednesday in observation of Juneteenth, and we will continue monitoring the forecast for the upcoming heat wave,” Ruby said, adding that they will comply with the new law. “We will comply with the law and suspend nonpayment-related disconnects in parts of our service area where forecasted temperatures reach 92 degrees or higher.”

A spokesperson for Charlotte-based Duke Energy, the nation’s second-largest utility company, said it has “long-standing policies to temporarily suspend disconnecting a customer’s service for nonpayment to help protect our customers,” on days when the weather is expected to be extremely hot or extremely cold. Duke monitors extreme weather events such as hurricanes or winter storms, evaluates them case-by-case, and temporarily suspends disconnection for nonpayment.

From Virginia legislator Aird’s perspective, legislation is needed not just for the customer but also to protect the power companies from themselves, a point she made in the starkest terms. “Your goal at the end of the day is to have a customer and give someone the ability to pay; if they are dead, then the power company doesn’t have a customer.”

The new legislation doesn’t go far enough to ensure people’s safety in extreme weather, according to Aird, but it was a good first step. “We erred on the side of something is better than nothing,” Aird said.

People are taking extreme weather into their own hands by investing in generators: Generac CEO

Environment

This startup raised $8M to store clean energy under the sea

Published

2 hours ago

October 22, 2025

admin

This startup raised M to store clean energy under the sea

Ocean energy storage startup Sizable Energy just raised $8 million to bring its long-duration offshore pumped hydro system to market.

The round was led by Playground Global, with backing from Exa Ventures, Verve Ventures, Satgana, EDEN/IAG, and Unruly Capital. The funding will help Sizable move from successful wave basin testing at the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) to full sea trials off the coast of Reggio Calabria, Italy.

Turning ocean depth into long-duration energy storage

Sizable Energy is reimagining pumped hydro storage for the sea. Instead of using freshwater and dams, the company’s system uses saturated sea-salt brine – about 20% denser than seawater – that moves between a floating reservoir and a deep-water reservoir. By harnessing gravity and ocean depth, it can store and release gigawatt-scale power without the land use or environmental impact of onshore hydro projects. Here’s a video explaining how it works:

Add Electrek as a preferred source on Google

Environment

YASA just destroyed its own record for power density with its state-of-the-art axial flux motor

Published

5 hours ago

October 22, 2025

admin

YASA just destroyed its own record for power density with its state-of-the-art axial flux motor

Three months after declaring an unofficial world record achievement in power density for an electric motor, YASA’s latest axial flux prototype has shattered that previous benchmark. The axial flux motor specialist is touting another unofficial world record, achieved with an even lighter design.

If you haven’t heard of YASA, we recommend checking out this unique company, which is doing some extraordinary things with electric motors. Over the past 16 years, YASA has evolved in tandem with its technology, revisiting and refining traditional designs dating back to the 1820s by optimizing them with modern components and materials. The result is the axial flux motor – a genuinely viable alternative to conventional radial motors used in most EVs today.

YASA motors have been integrated in production vehicles like the Koenigsegg Regera and the Ferrari Stradale SF90 hybrid. In 2023, we saw the first implementation of YASA’s axial flux motors in a Mercedes vehiclee, the Vision One Eleven concept, after the German automaker acquired the company in 2021.

By late 2024, we saw Mercedes’ first integration of YASA’s axial flux motors into its AMG.EA architecture featuring 800V capabilities and support for dual and tri-motor systems. At the time, YASA said each of its axial flux motors offers four times more torque and double the power of nearly all current tech on the market.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Over the summer, YASA proved the tremendous power of its axial flux motor during real-world trials, achieving an unofficial world record in power density. Now, just a few months later, YASA is touting a lighter motor that delivers significantly more power, declaring yet another unofficial world record.

YASA’s axial flux motors could be a game-changer

To understand the latest milestone recently achieved by YASA, you need to look at the data from its last record-setting trial, which included a 13.1 kg axial flux prototype. As we reported in July, that version was able to achieve a peak rating of 550 kW (738 hp), equating to a power density of 42 kW/kg.

An unofficial world record.

Most recently, however, YASA has been testing a lighter axial flux motor prototype, weighing in at 12.7kg, on a more powerful dynamometer. The latest trials delivered a 750 kW (1000+ hp) short-term peak rating, resulting in a power density of 59 kW/kg – a 40% increase from initial testing and another unofficial world record.

According to YASA CEO Joerg Miska, that’s also triple the performance density of the top radial flux motors currently available in the industry.

Peak power aside, YASA’s latest axial flux motor has the makings of something truly special. The company reported that it estimates the continuous power of its latest prototype to be “in the region of 350kW-400kW (469 hp-536 hp).”

That’s quite impressive when you consider the limited weight and size of such an electric motor and even more exciting when you think of the possibility of four of them (or even two) powering future EVs. YASA founder and CTO Tim Woolmer spoke to the achievement:

On behalf of the entire YASA team, I’m proud and excited to so quickly follow up on the already remarkable results of our initial testing with this incredible result. To achieve a 750 kW short-term peak rating and a density of 59 kW/kg is a major validation of our next-generation axial flux technology. It’s proof of what focused engineering innovation can achieve. And this isn’t a concept on a screen — it’s running, right now, on the dynos. We’ve built an electric motor that’s significantly more power-dense than anything before it – all with scalable materials and processes. This motor will bring game-changing technology to the high-performance automotive sector.

While these prototypes still have a way to go before reaching scaled production, this latest achievement offers real-life evidence that the technology works and could change the way OEMs approach powertrain design. YASA’s Chief of New Technology, Simon Odling, said it best:

The early results are extremely encouraging. The motor’s performance on the dyno has exceeded even our most optimistic simulations. As well as its incredible peak power and overall power density, we estimate this new motor will be able to deliver all-important continuous power in the region of 350kW-400kW. This is real hardware, in real life, delivering real data – and it’s performing beautifully.

YASA’s team of engineers is already deep into the validation process of this latest axial flux prototype motor, promising further details of its development in the near future.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Environment

Here are 6 great reasons rural drivers SHOULD embrace EVs in 2026

Published

14 hours ago

October 21, 2025

admin

Here are 6 great reasons rural drivers SHOULD embrace EVs in 2026

5 Ways Rural Drivers Benefit from Electric Vehicles

America’s heartland is full of rural communities that are miles away from its major cities, both geographically and culturally – but that doesn’t mean these more sparsely populated regions can’t reap the benefits of electrification. In fact, EVs offer rural drivers even more benefits than they do to city-dwellers!

“An electric lifestyle would be a boon to our rural heartland,” wrote th e Union of Concerned Scientists’ Maria Cecilia Pinto de Moura. “Rural communities across the country have their own distinguishing characteristics, but certain shared characteristics such as driving distances, the type of vehicles driven, and socio-economics are factors which contribute to this larger potential to benefit from vehicle electrification.”

Pinto de Moura went on to outline five ways rural and country drivers could benefit from going electric – but that was in 2021, and a whole lot has changed in the nearly five years since.

As such, I thought it was high time we revisit some of the reasons EVs could be a great fit for rural lifestyles, see if we could uncover any new ones, and outline the reasons we think rural drivers should rush to embrace electric vehicles in the coming calendar year.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

1. More miles means more savings

David Blenkle's 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E, used for his own car service, has surpassed more than 250,000 miles in three years, providing a real-world example of what's possible with high-milage electric vehicles. — David Blenkle’s 252,000 mile Mustang Mach-E; via Ford.

When you hear that line about, “the average American drives 30 to 40 miles a day,” remember that in towns like Wellington, Ohio, or Colfax, Washington, 30 miles is a grocery run. Each way. So when people trot out that old line about range anxiety, what rural drivers actually hear isn’t reassurance. It’s dismissal — a suggestion that they drive too far for an EV to work, when nothing could be further from the truth.

A recent study by Rural Climate Partnership found that rural drivers spend an average of 44% more on fuel than city dwellers, and that the top 3.6% of rural drivers — the “supermilers” who rack up the most miles — could save over $4,000 each year by switching to electric fuel.

2. Electric trucks have arrived

Here’s How Much The 2026 GMC Sierra EV Can Tow — Sierra AT4 EV towing a boat; via GM.

Country guys and gals love their pickups, and arguably the single biggest difference between the EV markets of 2021 and 2025 is the proliferation of electric trucks and SUVs ready to help haul, chore, camp, and tow.

Why not save your expensive horses from breathing in gas and diesel exhaust. Haul ’em with your quiet new EV, instead!

3. Home charging just works

Rivian-Tesla-Powerwall — R1S home charging; via Rivian.

With only about 45% of rural counties having access to DC fast charging, public charging still isn’t as visible as many first-time EV buyers might like, but it’s far better than it used to be — and improving fast. Still, that’s not the real EV advantage. Home charging is.

Unlike many apartment-dwelling urban drivers, most rural owners can charge right at home. More than 80% of rural households have a driveway or garage that are ideal for overnight Level 2 charging, and many already have a 240V outlet, keeping setup costs (if there even are any) to a minimum.

Plug in before bed, wake up to a full battery every morning, and do it for pennies on the dollar, especially with off-peak rates.

4. Lifesaving battery power

Ford-Lightning-V2H — F-150 Lightning plugged in; via Ford.

If disaster strikes and you lose power, many electric trucks have the ability to power your home and appliances with the energy stored in their massive batteries – either from the truck itself, or through a V2X home battery system. If you live in an area prone to extreme weather events, the ability to keep medication refrigerated can be a literal life-saver!

5. EVs are more affordable than ever

Ford E-Transit Van — E-transit electric van; via Ford.

It’s been a few years since a working class guy could reasonably expect to get a new pickup for less than $50,000. And, while much has been made of the “high cost of electric vehicles,” the truth is that thanks to killer lease deals, new tax incentives, and companies like Ford Pro and TRC that are willing to help you find even more funding to help pay for them, EVs can often be had for less than a comparable gas model.

As such, getting behind the wheel of an ultra-powerful, ultra smooth-running electric pickup truck from your favorite brand is easier than ever.

6. Energy independence and American jobs

Canoo-US-Army — GM Defense electric military vehicle; via GM.

At the risk of sounding like a paranoid red hat, rural Americans are proud Americans – just like rural Canadians are proud Canadians. Unfortunately, every gallon of gas burned in their pickups and SUVs came from oil drilled, refined, and traded on global markets — and that means supporting the oil business and economies of nations whose values don’t always align with, or maybe are even outright hostile to theirs.

Switching to an EV can help more of that money right here at home, especially as more and better battery recycling efforts come online and newer battery and anode/cathode chemistries are developed, reducing dependence on rare Earth metals, cobalt, and even lithium.

Even better, thanks to the rapid expansion and dramatically reduced costs of wind and solar power, you can power your EV with energy that is 100% Made in the USA, that doesn’t support foreign oil interests even indirectly, and which creates good-paying construction and maintenance jobs for local workers.

What am I missing?

Kia-EV6-GT-lease — EV6 GT burnout; via Kia.

There are obviously more reasons to go electric than these, from lower cost of ownership to saving the planet to absolutely killer burnouts that would make the one-tire-fire era IROC Camaros hang their 305s in shame – but I think those kind of fade into the background as being appealing to all, instead of being especially appealing to rural drivers.

That said, it’s been a long time since I was back in Ohio, so maybe I’ve forgotten what it’s like. You guys are smart, head on down to the comments and let me know what I missed!

Original content from Electrek.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.