POWERFAILURE

Power failure refers to the loss of electrical power supply in a region, facility, or network. It results from an interruption of energy delivery on the transmission and distribution system and can affect homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure.

Outages vary in scope and duration. A blackout is a total loss of power in an area, while a brownout is a drop in voltage. Planned outages are scheduled for maintenance or upgrades.

Causes include severe weather, equipment failure, protection systems isolating faults, human error, demand surges, and cyber or physical attacks. Grid reliability can also be challenged by fuel supply disruptions and generation variability.

Impacts range from inconvenience to safety risks and economic losses. Loss of lighting, climate control, and communications can affect households; medical facilities, water treatment, and data centers may be vulnerable; businesses lose productivity and revenue. Sudden voltage or frequency changes can damage equipment.

Prevention and resilience efforts emphasize redundancy and hardening: multiple power sources, transmission paths, and on-site generation; energy storage and uninterruptible power supplies; demand management; protective relays and smart-grid technologies; maintenance and weatherproofing.

Restoration usually begins with fault isolation and re-energization plans. Black-start capable plants can initiate restart of the system after a wide outage, followed by staged restoration and load prioritization for essential services.

Safety and preparedness are important. During an outage, avoid downed lines, use generators outdoors, and conserve critical resources. Utilities and regulators promote standards for protection, interoperability, and critical infrastructure protection. See also black start, brownout, outage management, grid reliability.