History of Power outage in Timeline

A power outage is an event that occurs when the supply of electricity to an end user is interrupted. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including damage to power lines, severe weather, or equipment failure.

2000: California Electricity Crisis

The California electricity crisis of 2000 stemmed from government deregulation of the wholesale electricity market, leading to rolling blackouts across the state.

2001: California Electricity Crisis

The California electricity crisis continued into 2001, with rolling blackouts remaining a persistent issue due to the destabilized electricity market.

2002: OPA Model Development

In 2002, researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Wisconsin's Power System Engineering Research Center, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks collaborated to introduce the OPA model. This mathematical model aimed to simulate the behavior of electrical distribution systems, particularly focusing on cascading failures.

2003: Research on Power Grid Resilience

A 2003 publication by Carreras and co-authors highlighted concerns about the declining resilience of power grids. The study suggested that prioritizing the prevention of small outages might inadvertently increase the likelihood of larger-scale blackouts.

2003: Northeast Blackout

The Northeast Blackout of 2003, caused by overgrown trees interfering with high-voltage power lines, resulted in approximately 55 million people in the U.S. and Canada losing power, costing an estimated $6 billion to restore.

2015: Power Outage Solution Proposed

In 2015, M.S. Saleh put forward a solution aimed at mitigating the impact of power outages.

October 2018: Senate Hearing on Black Start

In October 2018, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources convened a hearing to investigate "black start" procedures, focusing on the restoration of electricity following a widespread power outage.

2019: California Power Shutoffs

In 2019, California experienced planned power shutoffs as a safety measure to prevent wildfires, particularly around transmission lines with poor maintenance.