Stepping Stones: The Path To Red Rocks '22

Featuring Jordan Feliz & Danny Gokey

MercyMe Coins the Phrase That Changes Everything: “Then Christ Came”

Music Blog - "Then Christ Came" MercyMe

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators on Friday unveiled their plan to allow foreign baby formula manufacturers to stay on the market long term, an effort to diversify the nation's tightly concentrated industry and prevent future shortages.The Food and Drug Administration said recent entrants to the U.S. market will have until October 2025 to make sure their formulas comply with federal standards for nutrition, labeling and manufacturing. The agency noted that some companies should be able to meet those requirements sooner.The U.S. has been forced to turn to foreign manufacturers to boost formula supplies since February, when FDA inspectors temporarily shuttered the nation’s largest domestic formula factory due to bacterial contamination.In May, the FDA eased federal import regulations and President Joe Biden authorized the airlift of millions of pounds of powdered formula from overseas. Together those actions have brought the equivalent of 300 million bottles of formula into the country, according to the FDA.“Manufacturers from around the world have demonstrated their commitment to helping bolster U.S. supply and, in turn, we are committed to continuing these flexibilities for their products to safely remain on the market,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement.The policy allowing importation was set to expire in November, but the FDA said it would be extended to January, after which companies can ask to stay on the market longer.For decades, the U.S. formula industry has been dominated by a handful of companies with domestic production facilities, excluding similar products from Europe, Australia and Latin America. The U.S. system evolved to prioritize safety and low pricing, favoring a few large players.Foreign formula companies seeking to remain in the U.S. must meet specific thresholds for 30 nutrients and undergo manufacturing inspections by FDA staff, among other steps.Earlier this month the FDA formally acknowledged several shortcomings in its response to the shortage, including outdated information technology systems and inadequate training among its food facility inspectors.

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The U.S. has been forced to turn to foreign manufacturers to boost formula supplies since February.

Baby Formula - Regulators Form Long-Term Plan To Avoid Another Massive Shortage

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — There was no time to waste. As Hurricane Ian lashed southwest Florida, Bryan Stern, a veteran of the U.S. military, and others began gathering crews, boats and even crowbars for the urgent task that would soon be at hand: rescuing hundreds of people who might get trapped by floodwaters.“As soon as the sun came up, we started rolling,” said Stern, who last year put together a search-and-rescue team called Project Dynamo, which has undertaken operations in Afghanistan, Ukraine and, now, Florida.Project Dynamo has rescued more than 20 people, many of them elderly residents who became cut off when the Category 4 storm washed away a bridge connecting the Florida mainland with Sanibel Island, a crescent-shaped sliver of shell-strewn sand popular with tourists that is home to about 7,000 residents.On a stretch of beach, etched into the sand, there were calls for immediate assistance: “Help,” “SOS.”As local authorities continue reaching people isolated on barrier islands or trapped by floodwaters, others unwilling to be bystanders have sprung into action, sometimes risking their own safety or setting aside their own losses and travails to aid official rescue operations. It isn't a new phenomenon: Grassroots rescue groups have responded to past disasters, including after Hurricane Ida pounded Louisiana last year.<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/38327.jpg" alt="A team from the non-profit Project Dynamo helps Betty Reynolds onto a boat as she is rescued from Sanibel Island, Fla."><figcaption>[Photo Credit: AP/Robert Bumsted] A team from the non-profit Project Dynamo helps Betty Reynolds onto a boat as she is rescued from Sanibel Island, Fla.</figcaption></figure>Although some officials frown on people running their own rescue operations — especially in the early going if it's not safe enough yet or if the rescuers lack training — others welcome every bit of help.“It sort of restores your view of humanity. You see people chipping in and they aren’t getting paid for it," said Tim Barrett, the training division chief for the Sanibel Fire Department. "There’s even people whose homes are destroyed, but they’re helping them. They’re still helping other people.”It can be dangerous work. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the ferocious storm, which lashed some areas with winds of 155 mph or more and pummeled the coast with ocean surge.“We’re still working on rescuing people. I mean, this is just horrible that people have lost their lives. It’s horrible that people are still possibly stuck in rubble,” Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said Sunday on NBC's “Meet the Press.”“But I’ve been talking to the sheriffs and first responders and they’re trying to get to these people as quickly as they can.,” he said. “They’ve been working to evacuate people that stayed on, places like Sanibel and Pine Island and Fort Myers Beach.”The storm has claimed the lives of dozens of people in Florida and more bodies might still be recovered.Matt Mengel and his friends said they had made seven rescues so far, most of them elderly residents of Sanibel Island whom they reached on jet skis.“We had gasoline. We had jet skis. We had water. We had food and snacks. And our mission was just to go find them," he said.He called the destruction of the area, where he has lived for seven years, heartbreaking. “It was sad to see our home get destroyed and our favorite spots get destroyed.”The group's rescue missions began Friday when they hadn't heard from a friend who lives and works on Sanibel Island. That friend was found safe and sound, but they quickly found others who needed help.Just as they were leaving, Mengel's girlfriend heard a woman calling out for help. They responded and found a couple who desperately wanted to leave the island.A Coast Guard helicopter was patrolling nearby, and Mengel — with the help of the Project Dynamo crew — began frantically waving for attention. The helicopter spotted him and touched down on the beach to whisk the couple away.“All I wanted to do was help,” Mengel said.<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/38328.jpg" alt="Residents of Sanibel Island are moved to a waiting U.S. Coast Guard helicopter after wethering Hurricane Ian"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: AP/Steve Helber] Residents of Sanibel Island are moved to a waiting U.S. Coast Guard helicopter after wethering Hurricane Ian</figcaption></figure>A local television station recounted how three siblings — Leah, Evan and Jayden Wickert — helped save about 30 people from rising floodwaters in a Naples neighborhood.Water had deepened to about 6 feet in their neighborhood, and folks were standing on whatever they could to keep their necks above water. The siblings used kayaks and boats to save people.“There were a lot of people standing on their couches getting out of the water,” Leah Wickert told WBBH-TV.Betty Reynolds, 73, expressed appreciation for the men who came to her rescue after she spent days in her damaged Sanibel Island home.“You hate to leave a home you've lived in for 47 years,” she said, but said it filled with “lots and lots of mud."She said she didn't evacuate before the storm because she and her home survived previous storms unscathed. But she said this one took her by surprise: "I just didn't believe there was going to be so much storm surge.”Reynolds was taken off the island Saturday while Stern and his Project Dynamo team were on another mission, having received a text from a man who was concerned about his mother.Stern, whose cohorts are also military veterans, speaks quickly and is full of bravado. On a recent trip to Sanibel Island, he landed a boat directly on the beach, jumped into the water as it hit the sand and ran ashore.“It's like D-Day,” he said afterward.When there was no answer at the home of the woman whose son had texted, his team used a crowbar to enter, with the son's permission.Stern said he couldn't stand by. His rescue project was borne out of his frustrations watching Americans and their allies struggle last year to get out of Afghanistan.He has since turned his attention to helping people flee the war in Ukraine, where Stern and his team plan to return soon after what he called a brief “vacation” in Florida.

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Resident Judy Hicks is embraced by Project DYNAMO rescuer Bryon Wheeldon, before she is taken off the island, in the wake of Hurricane Ian

As local authorities continue reaching people isolated on barrier islands or trapped by floodwaters, others unwilling to be bystanders have sprung into action.

Volunteers Using Jet Skis, Boats Assist In Hurricane Ian Recovery

MAZATLAN, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Orlene made landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast near the tourist town of Mazatlan on Monday.Orlene lost some strength after roaring over the Islas Maria, a former prison colony being developed as a tourist draw. The main island is sparsely populated, mainly by government employees, and most buildings there are made of brick or concrete.The hurricane's winds slipped back to 85 mph mph (140 kph) as iut hit land about 45 miles (75 kilometers) southeast of Mazatlan Monday morning, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.Authorities along the coast suspended classes, closed seaports and set up shelters, and rain was falling in Mazatlan.A hurricane warning was in effect from San Blas to Mazatlan.The government of Jalisco state, where Puerto Vallarta is located, suspended classes Monday in towns and cities along the coast.In Sinaloa, where Mazatlan is located, some emergency shelters were opened.The center said the storm would likely begin weakening as its moved closer to land. But it was still projected to hit as a hurricane.It could bring flood-inducing rainfall of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in some places, as well as coastal flooding and dangerous surf.The ports of Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta were closed to ships and Mexico's navy announced that ports including Mazatlan, San Blas and Nuevo Vallarta were closed to small craft.Mexico's National Water Commission said Orlene could cause “mudslides, rising river and stream levels, and flooding in low-lying areas.”The storm peaked early Sunday at Category 4 force with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph).

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The storm could bring flood-inducing rainfall of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in some places, as well as coastal flooding and dangerous surf.

Hurricane Orlene Makes Landfall In Mexico

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"So I wasn't really expecting to see a perfect score. And that was pretty surprising to me because I felt like, there's a lot of other people out there who probably perform very well on this test..."

Midwest Teen Only Student On Earth To Get Perfect Score On AP Calculus Exam

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — J.J. Watt and his wife Kealia have spent the past few months looking at ultrasounds of their unborn son and wishing for the best.They never thought they’d be looking at pictures of Watt's own heart.“It’s been a week. I’m happy to be here. Happy to...,” an emotional Watt said as his voice trailed off and he took a moment to gain control of his emotions.The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year helped the Cardinals beat the Carolina Panthers 26-16 on Sunday, just three days after having his heart shocked into rhythm after going into atrial fibrillation.<blockquote>Watt said he was thankful to be healthy enough to play.And now he's looking forward to seeing his son, who is due in two weeks.“I’m glad it all worked out,” Watt said. “I’m glad I had good people taking care of me. And I’m glad I’m here today.”</blockquote>“I talked to cardiologists and electrophysiologists from all over the country," Watt said. "I was assured multiple times from multiple people that there was nothing else you could do. I could play like normal and something could happen the next day or never again in 20 years. So I was assured and I went back to practice on Friday and here we are.The 33-year-old Watt said his wife was by his side the entire time, even as he had to be under anesthesia to have the heart shocked.He doesn’t know what caused the irregular heartbeat, but admitted the experience frightened him.“I’ve had, obviously, surgeries before and injuries before,” Watt said. “And I’ve never been nervous for any of them. I’ve never been scared of anesthesia. I’ve never been scared of pain. But when they told me they were going to put me out and shock my heart, I was scared.”“Obviously it’s been a very emotional week for me and my family — for my wife and for myself," he added.Watt found out Sunday that a media outlet planned to break the story about his medical condition, which upset him.To get ahead of the news <a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1576606541213360128">Watt tweeted</a> just hours before kickoff that "I was just told somebody leaked some personal information about me and it’s going to be reported on today. I went into A-Fib on Wednesday, had my heart shocked back into rhythm on Thursday and I’m playing today. That’s it.”After the game Watt said he felt betrayed that someone shared his private medical information with the media.“The only people that knew were my family and people in the building,” Watt said.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1576606541213360128"></oembed></figure>Watt added: “Injuries, I don’t care. You leak injuries. That’s football. But this one was very emotional for me, so it was upsetting.”Watt had a key fourth quarter deflection of Baker Mayfield's pass at the line of scrimmage that led to Dennis Gardeck's interception and helped the Cardinals take a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter.He finished with three tackles and two pass breakups.“It shows you what kind of a person and competitor and human being he is. He’s special," Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “We’re all obviously worried when he wasn’t around for a couple of days handling that. I think it was definitely inspiring for all of us. He played at a really high level and continues to amaze that type of person and player that he is.”Added Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray: “It was big time having him out there — and I’m glad he’s OK."Atrial fibrillation is defined as a “an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm that can lead to blood clots in the heart,” according to the Mayo Clinic. That can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications if not properly addressed.Watt is returning quickly from a health scare as the league faces critcism for the handling of concussed Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa over the past week.The NFL Players Association on Saturday fired the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who cleared Tagovailoa to play after he slammed his head on the turf and stumbled trying to walk it off, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person confirmed the firing on condition of anonymity because a joint review by the NFL and its players’ union into Tagovailoa’s quick return to that game is ongoing.<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1576364715722145792"></oembed></figure>

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Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt warms up before an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers

Watt found out Sunday that a media outlet planned to break the story about his medical condition, which upset him.

'They Were Going To Shock My Heart, I Was Scared' - J.J. Watt Takes The Field Days After Heart Issue

NEW YORK (AP) — Abigail E. Disney has been critical of the company that bears her name before. But for the first time, Disney, the granddaughter of co-founder Roy O. Disney, has put her views into the medium the Mouse House was built on: a movie.In the new documentary “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales,” Disney argues that the Walt Disney Co. has lost its moral compass. As one of the company's most prominent and outspoken critics — one who happens to be from within the Disney family — Disney lays out an unflattering portrait of the company, particularly in regard to pay inequity and the struggles of some theme park employees to sustain their families on minimum-wage salaries.“They have gone the way of most every other company in this country. They started with a bigger idea of themselves than that," Disney said in an interview. “The Walt Disney Co. was better. It was kinder, it was gentler. It was a human company.“We have lost the plot," said Disney.“The American Dream," which is playing in select theaters and debuts Friday on video-on-demand, is directed by Disney, an activist and film producer, and the filmmaker Kathleen Hughes. It was made on the heels of a series of tweets from Disney in 2019 in which she slammed Bob Iger, then-Disney chief executive, for compensation that in 2018 surpassed $65 million. Disney's siblings, Susan Disney Lord and Tim Disney, are also executive producers on the film, which was made without any interaction from the company.“No one’s reached out to me. I’m a little mystified by it, frankly,” said Disney. “I’m happy to talk if that’s what they want to do. I am rooting for them. I love this company. This is a love letter to the company. But when you really, really love something and see it going off the rails, you can’t be silent.”The film follows four Disneyland custodians who on a salary of $15 an hour struggle to make ends meet in the high-priced Anaheim, California, area. Growing pay gaps between executives and low-rung workers is an issue Disney knows goes far beyond the company her film concerns. At one point in the film, she describes her hope for change as “a little Disney.“I know that people think I’m just living out here in abstract land,” Disney said. “But the abstractions matter a lot, and the sensibilities must change.”Wages for some Disney workers have been changing. Unions representing 9,500 workers at Disneyland averted a strike by ratifying a contact that raised pay from $15.45 an hour to $18. A union representing hotel workers at an Anaheim hotel also recently reached agreement on $23.50 an hour. (Anaheim's living wage ordinance, which is $23.50, was earlier ruled not to apply to Disneyland.)In response to “The American Dream,” a Disney spokesperson replied with a statement.“Our amazing cast members, storytellers, and employees are the heart and soul of Disney, and their wellbeing is our top priority. We work hard to ensure that our team is supported in ways that enable them to grow their careers, care for their families, and thrive at work — which is why so many people choose to spend their entire careers with us."The spokesperson also cited medical coverage, access to tuition-free higher education and subsidized child care as worker benefits. “We are committed to building on these impactful programs by identifying new ways to support our cast members and communities around the world,” said the spokesperson.When Roy E. Disney — whose father, Roy O. Disney, founded the company with brother, Walt, in 1923 — stepped down from the board in 2003, the family ceased participating in running the company. Since Abigail Disney made her documentary, which first premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival, Iger has been succeeded by Bob Chapek, who had previously run parks for the company. In that period, prices have risen sharply at the company's theme parks — another point of contention for Disney.“I just don’t think it’s a good idea for Disneyland to become a luxury vacation that most Americans can’t access,” she said. “I don’t know how much more the brand can take.”Ultimately, Disney increasingly doesn't recognize the company that for much of her life was the family business. Making a movie about her disapproval, she says, was “exquisitely uncomfortable.” But she hasn't given up a happily-ever-after ending.“I really do mean well,” Disney says. “You can say a lot of things about me, but I mean well.”

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This image released by Fork Films shows a scene from the documentary "The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales," a film by Abigail Disney. 

Abigail E. Disney argues that the Walt Disney Co. has lost its moral compass.

Taking Aim At The 'Mouse House,' Disney Granddaughter Critical Of Company Direction 

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Monday set Oct. 25 as the date for American basketball star Brittney Griner’s appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.Griner, an eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.The Moscow region court said it will hear her appeal.Griner admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage, but testified that she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.Her February arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At the time, Griner, recognized as one of the greatest players in WNBA history, was returning to Russia, where she played during the U.S. league’s offseason.The nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years, and Griner’s lawyers argued after the conviction that the punishment was excessive. They said in similar cases defendants have received an average sentence of about five years, with about a third of them granted parole.Before her conviction, the U.S. State Department declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained” — a charge that Russia has sharply rejected.Reflecting the growing pressure on the Biden administration to do more to bring Griner home, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unusual step of revealing publicly in July that Washington had made a “substantial proposal” to get Griner home, along with Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage.Blinken didn’t elaborate, but The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to exchange Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the “merchant of death.”The White House said it has not yet received a productive response from Russia to the offer.Russian diplomats have refused to comment on the U.S. proposal and urged Washington to discuss the matter in confidential talks, avoiding public statements.

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Police found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

Russian Court Sets Brittney Griner Appeal For Oct. 25

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No, you're not supposed to use it like a straw, but what's it for?

Why Do McDonald's McFlurry Spoons Have Square Holes in the Handle?

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“The significance of JFK to our operation hasn’t changed — we think New York customers deserve more choices."

United Airlines Suspending Service At JFK Airport

Hurricane Ian’s catastrophic winds and flooding are likely to bring long-lasting power outages to large parts of Florida. The storm is the latest in a line of hurricanes and extreme heat and cold events that have knocked out power to millions of Americans in recent years for days at a time.In many disaster- and outage-prone areas, people are starting to ask whether investing in rooftop solar and battery storage systems can keep the lights on and the air conditioner running when the power grid can’t.When the grid goes down, most solar systems that lack a battery will also shut down. But with batteries, a home can disconnect from the grid. Each day, the sun powers the home and charges up the batteries, which provide power through the night.Our team at Berkeley Lab explored what it would take for homes and commercial buildings to ride out long power outages, of three days or more, with solar and batteries.<h2>How much can solar + storage do?</h2>For a new report, we modeled a generic power outage for every county in the U.S., testing whether a rooftop solar system combined with a 10- or 30-kilowatt-hour battery could power critical loads, like refrigeration, lighting, internet service and well pumps; if it could go further and also power heating and air conditioning; or if it could even power a whole home.To put that into perspective, the most popular battery on the market, the Tesla Powerwall, has just over 13 kWh of storage.In general, we found that even a modest system of solar plus one battery can power critical loads in a home for days at a time, practically anywhere in the country.But our maps show that providing backup for cooling and heat can be a challenge, though not an insurmountable one. Homes in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest often have power-hogging electric resistance heaters, exceeding the capability of solar and storage during winter outages. Homes with efficient heat pumps performed better. Summer air conditioning load can be heavy in the Southwest, making it harder to meet all cooling needs with solar and storage in a summer blackout.Larger solar and battery systems can help, but meeting demand during outages still depends on the weather, how energy efficient the home is and other factors. For example, simple thermostat adjustments during power outages reduce heating and cooling needs and allow solar with storage to maintain backup power over longer periods.<figure class="image"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486945/original/file-20220927-2496-up798v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Maps show most parts of the country can run on solar plus storage for 'critical' uses. Still, a large percentage can run air and heat, but few can support an entire home." srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486945/original/file-20220927-2496-up798v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=867&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486945/original/file-20220927-2496-up798v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=867&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486945/original/file-20220927-2496-up798v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=867&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486945/original/file-20220927-2496-up798v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1089&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486945/original/file-20220927-2496-up798v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1089&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486945/original/file-20220927-2496-up798v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1089&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="100vw"></figure>Where solar and storage with a 10-kWh battery can supply backup power, in various scenarios. Berkeley Lab, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a>The ability to power commercial buildings varies widely, depending on the building type. Schools and big-box retail stores, with sufficient roof space for solar relative to building power demand, fare much better than multistory, energy-intensive buildings like hospitals.<h2>How solar would have handled 10 past disasters</h2>We also looked at 10 real-world outage events from 2017 to 2020, including hurricanes, wildfires and storms, and modeled building performance for specific locations and real weather patterns during and after the outages.We found that in seven of the outages, most homes would have been able to maintain critical loads plus heating and cooling using solar with 30 kWh of storage, or just over two Powerwalls.But the weather around the outage can have a big impact, especially for hurricanes. After Hurricane Florence knocked out power in North Carolina in 2018, cloudy skies hung around for three days, dimming or even stopping solar panels’ output.Hurricane Harvey, on the other hand, slammed the Texas coast in August 2017 but moved on to cause widespread damage elsewhere in Texas. The skies over Corpus Christi cleared even as it took a week or more to get power restored. Solar and storage would have been a big help in that case, providing virtually all power needs for a typical single-family home, once the skies cleared.<figure class="image"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486911/original/file-20220927-12744-t3tklp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Line charts show power potential from storage and demand during two major storms. They start low as the storm hits but then improve quickly." srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486911/original/file-20220927-12744-t3tklp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=274&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486911/original/file-20220927-12744-t3tklp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=274&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486911/original/file-20220927-12744-t3tklp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=274&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486911/original/file-20220927-12744-t3tklp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=344&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486911/original/file-20220927-12744-t3tklp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=344&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486911/original/file-20220927-12744-t3tklp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=344&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="100vw"></figure>How a typical home would have done with solar and 30 kWh of storage after hurricanes Florence and Harvey. The light blue line shows the short periods of ‘unserved load,’ or shortfalls in meeting power demand, right after the storms. The state of charge shows batteries were able stretch solar power through the night. Berkeley Labs, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a>Similarly, we found solar can do well in less cloudy events, like wildfire prevention shutoffs in California, or after the 2020 derecho windstorm in Iowa.The heat source in a home is also a key factor. In a five-to-10-day outage following an ice storm in Oklahoma in 2020, we found that solar plus a 30-kWh battery could have supplied nearly all the critical power and heat needed for homes with natural gas heaters or heat pumps. But homes with electric resistance heating would have fallen short.In Texas, over half of homes are heated with electricity, primarily resistance heaters. Energy Star-rated heat pumps – which provide both heating and cooling – use half as much electricity per unit of heat output as electric resistance heaters and are also more efficient at cooling than the average new air conditioner. Converting older resistance heaters to new heat pumps can not only save money and reduce peak demand but also increase resilience during outages.<h2>New forms of backup</h2>Setting up solar and storage to provide backup power in a home or building takes extra work and it costs more – just one Powerwall can run from US$12,000 to $16,500 for a full system installation, before incentives and taxes. That’s as much as a fair-sized solar system. Nevertheless, a growing number of homeowners are installing both.Over 90% of new solar installations in Hawaii in 2021 were paired with batteries after a regulation change. Now these distributed power plants are helping power the grid as coal plants are retired.California has over 1.5 million rooftop solar systems. A growing number of customers are retrofitting batteries on their systems, or adding new solar plus storage, in part because utilities have resorted to “public safety power shutoffs” to lower the risk of wildfires sparked by power lines during dry, windy days.<figure class="image"><img src="https://emfservices.azureedge.net/news/33515.jpg" alt="The chip shortage has caused Ford and General Motors to close multiple North American factories for a week or two at a time"><figcaption>[Photo Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio]&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>Electric trucks and cars have much more battery storage than a Powerwall and hold potential as future home batteries as well.&nbsp;And new forms of backup power are emerging, especially from electric cars. Ford is partnering with SunRun to combine its new F150 Lightning electric pickup truck with solar and a two-way charger that can use the truck’s battery to power a house. The standard version of the truck comes with a 98-kWh battery, the equivalent of more than seven Tesla Powerwall stationary batteries.<h2>Critical power for critical services</h2>A fire station in Puerto Rico offers a glimpse of what solar and storage can do. After Hurricane Maria cut power for months in 2017, over 40,000 solar systems were installed on the island, often paired with battery storage. One of those is at the fire station in the town of Guánica, which had been unable to receive emergency calls in previous outages.When Hurricane Fiona’s wind and flooding again knocked out power to most of Puerto Rico in September 2022, the fire station was still operating.“The solar system is working beautifully!” Sgt. Luis Saez told Canary Media the day after Fiona knocked out power. “We did not lose power all throughout the hurricane.”

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