Top U.S. Cities with Worst Power Grids

The U.S. aging power grid is a source of concern and requires attention and investment. Most power grids were built in the 1960s and 1970s and have grown old, leading to frequent inconvenience due to regular outages. Moreover, fossil fuels, natural gas, and coal account for 90 percent of electricity sources in the country; these forms of energy are not renewable. Increased consumption will affect the availability of these resources, resulting in increased costs and environmental degradation that calls for immediate action toward sustainable alternatives.

New York, NY

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New York City experiences several outages every year. A study shows that the city has faced many daylong blackouts due to the aging infrastructure and extreme weather events. The 2019 blackout in Manhattan left 73,000 people in the dark, causing stores to empty, canceled theatre performances, and people stuck in elevators for nearly three hours. The electricity was fully restored by midnight, exposing the city’s vulnerable power grids.

Philadelphia, PA

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The city endures outages in case of severe weather conditions and infrequent equipment failures. The city was hit by rain and thunderstorms recently, causing power cuts that left thousands of people in the dark for hours. According to a report, 1,091 outages affected more than 15,000 people. This incident stands as a cautioning sign for Philadelphia to improve its power grid infrastructure.

Washington, D.C.

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Washington suffers from several outages every year, pointing out the problems the city faces with its fragile infrastructure and ever-growing demand. In 2021, the country witnessed some of the worst power outages, as every customer experienced 8.8 hours of power cuts. This demands improved infrastructure in the city with advanced grid management to reduce the outages.

New Orleans, LA

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Power outages have become quite frequent in New Orleans. In 2019, the city experienced over 2000 outages with an average time of 5 hours per month. Equipment failure, lighting, and conductor failure are significant reasons for these outages. These power disruptions affected more than 150,000 lakhs of people, businesses, and other critical facilities.

Boston, MA

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Boston’s struggling power grid system poses the challenges of managing aging infrastructure in a bustling metropolitan area. In a study, the state of Massachusetts ranks as the least reliable power grid in the country, affecting its cities significantly. Extreme weather events are also one of the major contributing factors. In 2023, a powerful storm hit the state, causing 180,000 outages and affecting 260,000 customers.

Denver, CO

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Power outages in Denver are frequent, highlighting the vulnerability of the city’s power grid. Severe weather events often lead to more outages. In April 2024, the city saw winds over 100 mph, resulting in hours-long power shut-offs that impacted 55,000 customers. Additionally, as the wind intensified, more customers faced power outages, bringing the total number affected to 150,000 across Colorado.

St. Louis, MO

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St. Louis faces a 3.5 percent power outage yearly due to various factors, including storms, accidents, and natural disasters. A total of 16,577 outages were reported, affecting 470,702 customers. These outages impact both commercial and residential areas, disturbing people’s lives. The city experiences the most outages from January to March due to harsh temperatures. Utility companies are continually working to implement advanced technology and improve grid reliability.

Seattle, WA

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The power system of Seattle needs significant improvement as the city faces many outages. Most outages are caused by falling trees or branches due to extreme weather events. Additionally, blackouts can occur due to problems that may originate outside the Seattle City light system. The aging infrastructure is also unable to meet the rising demand for electricity during the summer, highlighting the urgent need for upgrades.

Petersburg, VA

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According to the power outage tracker, Petersburg has experienced many power outages in the last 15 days, impacting 19,413 customers. Severe weather or blizzards can burden the weak power grid and cause outages in the city. Petersburg needs to implement advanced technology to create a robust power grid system to safeguard against these unplanned outages.

Houston, TX

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In June 2024, Hurricane Beryl caused power outages, leaving over 2.2 million people without electricity. The city also experienced a power outage in May, affecting over 90,000 people due to the derecho. These outages took weeks to restore, underscoring the need for advanced technology to strengthen the power grid against any unexpected weather events.

Camden, NJ

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In the last 15 days. Camden has faced several power outages, affecting over 9,000 customers. These outages are caused by unexpected weather events and weak power infrastructure, impacting homes, offices, and the city’s traffic system. Power outages also pose a risk to surveillance technology and law enforcement operations. However, the state is taking necessary steps to modernize the aging power grid to serve the city better.

Los Angeles, CA

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In the last 15 days, over 13,000 customers in Los Angeles have faced power cuts, impacting homes and businesses. Additionally, other significant outages in the city have exposed the vulnerability of its power grid system. Besides weather events, the increased load on the power system during the summer is a major reason for the rising power outages. These issues highlighted the infrastructure is in critical need of an upgrade.

Harrisburg, PA

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Harrisburg has faced significant outages that affected residents, businesses, and the traffic system. In 2020, there were 3,000 power outages, leaving over 2900 customers in the dark. These incidents caused by the blown fuse exposed the city’s weak power reliability. Additionally, unexpected weather events also led to outages in Harrisburg, with power restoration taking hours. Such incidents underscore the city’s need for an enhanced power system.

Glasgow, MT

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Glasgow is a remote U.S. city with a vulnerable power grid. The city experiences an average of 1.05 outages per customer each year, each lasting an average of 99.1 minutes. These frequent outages highlight the weak power system and the urgent need for advanced technology to improve the power grid’s reliability in the city.

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