The Blackout Battle

America’s blackout boom—our national electric grid is badly in need of an upgrade, as power outages are seemingly becoming the norm, especially with the onset of extreme heat and increasingly inclement weather. This has many people wondering why the power industry seems to be lagging behind when it comes to innovations to keep the lights on, and how politics plays a part in stagnating investment into renewable energy and smarter grid infrastructure. Lisa Margonelli is a research fellow at the New America Foundation and writes about energy policy for major publications like The New York Times and The Atlantic. She explores this power struggle in a recent article for Pacific Standard magazine.