45 h. ago Spanish grid operator faults big power plants in blackout blame game

Some large electricity generators were not doing their job to help control voltage, claims parent company’s chair

Politics

4 d. ago 'Dad's Army' to return FOR REAL as UK military plans defence against Russian invasion

The Home Guard will be a civilian unit tasked with protecting key infrastructure such as nuclear power plants, airports and telecommunications sites

Events

5 d. ago Captain Mainwaring set to march again as Britain plans to bring back real Dad’s Army

The new Home Guard would protect nuclear power plants and airports against attack from enemy states and terrorists

Events

6 d. ago UK to launch new 'Home Guard' to protect power plants and airports amid rising global threats

The UK may see a return of the famous WW2 fighting force to combat attacks on important domestic facilities

Society

1 week ago Spain probes cyber weaknesses at small power plants after blackout

Madrid says ‘everything remains on the table’ as it seeks to identify the cause of massive April 28 outage

Politics

2 w. ago US renewable energy has tripled in a decade – but Trump cancels almost $8bn in projects

Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, even as red states see a boom in renewable energyRenewable energy in the US has surged to unprecedented levels, with the combined power generated by solar, wind and geothermal more than tripling over the past decade, according to a new report by a network of state environmental groups.The growth has slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions, made the nation’s energy system more resilient and prevented thousands of premature deaths from power plant pollution, according to the report by Environment America.The amount of solar energy produced in 2024 – enough to power 28m homes – was nearly eight times higher than a decade earlier. Solar power production increased 27% from 2023 to 2024.Wind produced even more energy – enough to power 42m homes in 2024. The amount of power from wind has more than doubled over the past decade.Wind, solar and geothermal energy accounted for 19% of all retail sales of electricity last year, accordin...

Politics

2 w. ago US renewable energy has tripled in a decade – but Trump cuts almost $8bn in projects

Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, even as red states see a boom in renewable energyRenewable energy in the US has surged to unprecedented levels, with the combined power generated by solar, wind and geothermal more than tripling over the past decade, according to a new report by a network of state environmental groups.The growth has slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions, made the nation’s energy system more resilient and prevented thousands of premature deaths from power plant pollution, according to the report by Environment America.The amount of solar energy produced in 2024 – enough to power 28m homes – was nearly eight times higher than a decade earlier. Solar power production increased 27% from 2023 to 2024.Wind produced even more energy – enough to power 42m homes in 2024. The amount of power from wind has more than doubled over the past decade.Wind, solar and geothermal energy accounted for 19% of all retail sales of electricity last year, accordin...

Politics

2 w. ago US renewable energy has tripled in a decade – but almost $8bn in projects now face cuts

Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, even as red states see a boom in renewable energyRenewable energy in the US has surged to unprecedented levels, with the combined power generated by solar, wind and geothermal more than tripling over the past decade, according to a new report by a network of state environmental groups.The growth has slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions, made the nation’s energy system more resilient and prevented thousands of premature deaths from power plant pollution, according to the report by Environment America.The amount of solar energy produced in 2024 – enough to power 28m homes – was nearly eight times higher than a decade earlier. Solar power production increased 27% from 2023 to 2024.Wind produced even more energy – enough to power 42m homes in 2024. The amount of power from wind has more than doubled over the past decade.Wind, solar and geothermal energy accounted for 19% of all retail sales of electricity last year, accordin...

Politics

2 w. ago Russian drone strike caused tens of millions worth of damage to Chornobyl

Exclusive: Attack damaged €1.5bn containment structure over nuclear reactor with repair costs likely to be borne by western governmentsA Russian Shahed drone costing up to £75,000 is estimated to have inflicted tens of millions worth of damage to the site of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, according to initial assessments and engineering experts.The cost of a full fix is likely to be borne by western governments including the UK, because initial estimates are that a complete repair will cost more than the €25m available in a special international contingency fund. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago World's first photoshoot 'powered by plants' captures stunning images of new electric car

A unique new project has seen plant energy used to power the lighting for a professional photoshoot, offering a whole new way of creating energy

Events

3 w. ago Spanish grid operator 'ignored five years of warnings' over green power blackouts risk as socialist PM Sanchez faces mounting fury over 'cover

In September 2020, technicians laid down a series of 'essential' proposals to avoid 'unacceptable' imbalances or disruptions to power.

Events

3 w. ago ‘A ruthless agenda’: charting 100 days of Trump’s onslaught on the environment

Guardian reporters map out how Trump is eviscerating efforts to protect the natural world – from ‘drill, baby, drill’ to mass firings100 days of Trump: inside Trump’s whirlwind start to his second termDonald Trump has never been mistaken for an environmentalist, having long called the climate crisis a “giant hoax” and repeatedly lauding the supposed virtues of fossil fuels.But the US president’s onslaught upon the natural world in this administration’s first 100 days has surprised even those who closely charted his first term, in which he rolled back environmental rules and tore the US from the Paris climate agreement.Taken more than 140 actions to roll back environmental rules and push for greater use of fossil fuels.Set about rewriting regulations that limit pollution from cars, trucks and power plants.Officially reconsidering whether greenhouse gases actually cause harm to public health.Legally targeted states that have their own laws on tackling the climate crisis.Speeded up env...

Politics

3 w. ago Minister warns against blaming Spain’s blackout on renewable energy

Spain’s environment minister, Sara Aagesen, promises ‘complete audit’ into causes of power outageEurope live – latest updatesSpain’s environment minister has warned against attempts to blame Monday’s unprecedented blackout across the Iberian peninsula on the increasing use of renewable energy, defending the reliability of the national grid and promising a “complete audit” to establish the causes of the outage.Speaking on Wednesday afternoon as a specially designated committee prepared to meet to investigate the blackout, Sara Aagesen pushed back at opposition parties’ claims that the socialist-led government’s drive to embrace renewable energy had compromised the grid’s stability. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago How Spain's blackout could have been a nuclear weapons test in space: Evidence of attack as experts warn 'cataclysm' can knock out entire grid in seconds

There has been no explanation as to what caused the power cut. But all sorts of possibilities have been put forward - including that an 'electromagnetic pulse' was to blame.

Events

3 w. ago Solar storm warning over risk of nuclear disaster 'worse than Chernobyl'

The monster power outage in Spain and Portugal this week saw nuclear plants automatically stopped.

Events

3 w. ago Wild conspiracy theories flood the internet after Spanish power blackout as sleuths blame alien attack, chem trails and US EMP strikes

The massive outage left thousands of people stranded in trains and elevators, while millions saw phone and internet coverage die.

Events

3 w. ago Is Net Zero to blame for Spain blackout chaos? Why green power may have exacerbated anarchy as 30,000 officers are deployed to the streets and panic

The country declared a state of emergency last night and said it was deploying 30,000 police officers as part of security measures to deal with the mayhem caused by the calamitous outage.

Events

3 w. ago Spain and Portugal blackouts caused by 'rare atmospheric phenomenon' as millions without power

Portuguese power grid supplier Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) has claimed faults on the Spanish side of the power grid were responsible for the widespread chaos today

Economics

3 w. ago Spain and Portugal power outage live: warnings of six to 10 hours to restore supplies across Spain

Official from Spanish grid operator says outage is an unprecedented incident and declines to comment on causesHave you been affected by the power outages?We are just getting a line from Reuters news agency saying that the Conclave to elect new pope will start on 7 May, according to its source.We have not independently verified this report. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Could renewable energy be to blame for huge Spain blackout? How outage struck days after country's grid ran entirely on green power for the first time

The shocking blackouts have impacted millions of people with almost all of Spain and Portugal affected, along with parts of France and Belgium, according to the most recent reports

Politics