Grid Resilience Solutions

Power grids are increasingly vulnerable to the worsening impacts of climate change. High-voltage power lines, underground cables, and the poles and wires that connect homes and businesses, can all be damaged by stronger storms, floods and wildfires as well as heatwaves and cold snaps. Often, we don't think about these risks and take grids for granted -- until the power goes out. Which is what happened in the Australian state of Victoria on Feb 13 this year, when a storm blew over six ageing transmission towers as well as smaller powerlines, knocking out power for about 1.5 million people. I really enjoyed researching and writing this commentary for The Straits Times about the need for greater climate resilience for power grids globally, especially in Asia where grids are growing quickly. The good news: Grids can be made more resilient and investments are happening. Stronger transmission towers, more interconnections to boost redundancy, putting power cables underground, fire-proofing power poles, regular tree pruning and grass cutting in fire-prone areas, better extreme weather forecasting, and -- not building big transmission towers at all. Grids are expanding in part because of growing populations, greater electrification of societies (eg, more EVs, and electrical appliances), but also to link up huge amounts of new solar, wind and battery storage projects. But distributed renewable energy -- small, localised grids -- can help make local communities energy independent and less reliant on the main grid. The bottomline: Governments need to prioritise grid investment and national adaptation strategies need to include clear action plans to strengthen the power transmission network. Weak grids will only hold back the global fight against climate change and prove very costly down the line. Thanks to my Sydney colleague Jonathan Pearlman, Scott Hamilton from Smart Energy Council, Andrzej Ceglarz, PhD at Renewables Grid Initiative, Yvonne Yujing Liu at RMI, International Energy Agency (IEA) and Rystad Energy. #climatechange #extremeweather #grids #climateresilience #australia #blackouts #renewableenergy #distributedrenewableenergy More here (note, paywalled): https://lnkd.in/gadHjHnB

⚡ Power outages have profound impacts on both consumers and utility companies. These data shows that over the past decade, the most significant power failure in the 🇺🇸 are caused by severe weather events. The concerning trend is about the vulnerability of our electrical infrastructure. According to data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a power outage is defined as an event where electric service is lost to more than 50,000 customers for one hour or more. Between 2013 and 2023, the ten largest outages were all due to severe weather, with hurricanes and winter storms causing eight of them. Hurricane Irma in 2017 tops the list, leaving 3.5 million Floridians without power. As a Category 5 hurricane, Irma caused over $50 billion in damages in Florida alone. Texas appears three times on the list, affected by both hurricanes and winter storms. The 2021 winter storm in Texas was particularly devastating, exposing the state's unpreparedness for extreme cold. As of 2023, 70% of U.S. transmission lines are over 25 years old. This aging infrastructure is more susceptible to failures, cyber-attacks, and even sparking wildfires. The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, fueled by #climatechange, exacerbate these vulnerabilities. These outages underscore a critical need for investment in grid modernization and resilience, including an #earlywarningsystem per prevention. Upgrading infrastructure isn't just about preventing inconvenience; it's about safeguarding lives and economies. A resilient grid can better withstand extreme weather, reduce outage durations, and adapt to new energy demands. Proactive measures, policy changes, and investments are essential to ensure reliable power for all, especially as climate change continues to challenge the status quo.

Business Climate Resilience 🌎 Climate-related disruptions are increasing in frequency and severity, creating material risks for business operations, supply chains, and local communities. Addressing these challenges requires a structured and forward-looking approach to climate resilience. The World Economic Forum presents a framework that outlines ten key actions across three pillars: enhancing resilience, capitalizing on opportunities, and shaping collaborative outcomes. These actions are designed to help organizations avoid economic loss, drive sustainability-linked value, and strengthen systemic responses. Enhancing resilience involves asset-level climate hazard mapping, crisis response planning, and contingency strategies for workforce productivity during extreme weather. Addressing single points of failure and diversifying service delivery and supply chain models is essential to minimize operational disruption. Capturing new opportunities requires understanding long-term consumption shifts, adapting local business models, and directing R&D toward sustainable materials, circular models, and resilient infrastructure. Climate-smart portfolio strategies can position climate adaptation as a source of competitive advantage. Systemic resilience depends on coordinated action across the value chain. Collaboration with public, private, and grassroots stakeholders can unlock shared value frameworks, support regenerative practices, and enable the deployment of early warning systems and nature-based financial mechanisms. To operationalize these priorities, businesses are encouraged to activate key enablers within 24 months. These include integrating climate risk into enterprise risk management, conducting detailed audits of capabilities, and aligning capital investment decisions with resilience objectives. Data intelligence, scientific partnerships, and responsible use of technology—particularly AI—will be critical to improve foresight, enable adaptive planning, and enhance the quality of strategic decision-making in the context of escalating climate volatility. #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg

Inspired by Emma Howard Boyd CBE's post from earlier today, I was reflecting on London's predicament. London stands at a crossroads in how it manages water resources & strengthens its resilience to climate change. W/ rising populations, aging infrastructure, & increasingly extreme weather patterns, the city’s ability to secure its water future & protect against floods is under huge pressure At the heart of the challenge are 2 interconnected risks: water scarcity & flooding. By the 40s, daily water deficits of up to 400m litres could threaten supply, while rising groundwater, heavy rainfall, & overwhelmed infrastructure pose flooding risks for homes, businesses, & transport networks. Climate extremes are no longer hypothetical & our systems need urgent upgrades to adapt. To future-proof London, a multi-faceted approach is essential: 🔹 Demand mgmt: reducing water consumption through efficiency measures in homes and businesses is the most immediate and cost-effective step. Education, incentives, & smart technologies can cut waste & manage supply 🔹 Nature-based solutions: urban wetlands, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), & green infrastructure are vital. These approaches allow nature to help manage water—absorbing excess during storms, replenishing groundwater, & cooling urban areas—while enhancing biodiversity & public spaces 🔹 Infrastructure innovation: London’s Victorian-era water systems are under enormous strain. Significant investment is needed to upgrade pipelines, reservoirs, and treatment facilities to meet modern demands & withstand climate stresses. Partnerships between public & private sectors are critical to fund this long-term transformation 🔹 Climate risk integration: ensuring that every major infrastructure project incorporates climate resilience is vital. Resilience should not be an afterthought but a foundation for planning & development We need collaboration too. Water utilities, government agencies, businesses, and communities must work together to implement solutions that balance supply, demand, and risk. This means aligning incentives, investing in innovation, & embracing a holistic view of water management that protects both people & ecosystems. London has a unique opportunity to lead the way as a global city facing climate pressures. By combining smart tech, policy innovation, and nature-based solutions, it can build a water-secure future that safeguards lives, livelihoods, & the environment. Several urban areas across the UK face the dual challenges of both water scarcity & flooding, similar to London. Carbon Brief's work suggests examples include: 1. Cardiff 2. Leeds 3. Exeter 4. Newport These urban areas exemplify the broader national challenge of managing both flood risks & potential water shortages. Addressing these issues requires integrated water management strategies, investment in resilient infrastructure, & climate adaptation measures to safeguard communities & ensure sustainable water resources.

Ecuador grapples with 12-hour daily blackouts due to drought-depleted hydropower. North America's power grid might not be exempt. A new study hints at the steep costs of adapting the Western US power grid to climate change while pursuing decarbonization goals. The research finds that by 2050 climate change could increase regional electricity demand by 2% while simultaneously reducing hydropower generation by up to 23% (similar to what has been happening in Ecuador for the past months, where I sit right now). To maintain grid reliability under these conditions, the Western Interconnection may need to build additional generating capacity equivalent to three times California's current peak demand - requiring up to $150 billion in extra infrastructure investments. These findings suggest utilities and regulators must fundamentally reconsider their grid planning assumptions. Current infrastructure forecasts likely underestimate the compound effects of rising temperatures, reduced hydropower availability, and extreme weather events. The financial burden of adaptation will require innovative cost-sharing mechanisms between utilities and ratepayers. Most critically, grid planners must substantially increase their estimates for generation capacity to ensure reliability during intensifying summer peaks. Kudos to Julia Szinai, PhD, David Yates, Pedro Andrés Sánchez Pérez, Martin Staadecker, Daniel Kammen, Andrew Jones, and Patricia Hidalgo-Gonzalez!

Blackout Warnings or Economic Boom? Europe’s Grid Investments Will Decide The latest Infrastructure Gaps Report, published under ENTSO-E’s TYNDP 2024, highlights a stark system imbalance: Grid investments are trailing far behind what’s needed for a reliable, low-carbon electricity future. By 2050, Europe must deliver: a) 224 GW of new cross-border transmission b) 540 GW of storage (mostly batteries) c) €13B/year in investments (but saves €23B/year!) Yet by 2030, we’re already falling short: Planned projects cover just 47 GW of cross-border capacity, but 88 GW is needed to avoid blackouts, cut emissions, and keep costs low. Why does this matter? 1) Grid stability is weakening The rise of inverter-based resources is outpacing investments in grid-forming capabilities. Stability challenges aren’t theoretical anymore. 2) Offshore grids go hybrid: For the first time, TYNDP integrates Offshore Network Development Plans, proposing corridors that serve both RES integration and cross-border transmission. 3) National grids are the new bottleneck: Cross-border buildout depends on internal reinforcements. TYNDP calls for tighter coordination between EU-level plans and national TSOs. This is an economic strategy, not just an energy policy: • Projections include 4.1 million jobs, • €247B in GDP uplift, • €111B in public revenues. Grid investment is a multiplier, not a sunk cost. What matters most now is not just which projects get built, but how quickly, where, and with what kind of system thinking. Link to the full report is in the first comment. #TYNDP2024 #PowerSystems #GridPlanning #ENTSOE #EnergyTransition #Inertia #Storage #OffshoreWind #GridForming #Resilience #NetZero #Infrastructure 

GETTING ON BOARD WITH GLOBAL GRID GROWTH A recent analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that if the world is to meet #climate and #energy security targets, it must add or replace some 80 million km of electricity grids by 2040. According to this special report from the Agency, ‘Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions,’ policymakers and companies must take prompt action to improve and expand electricity transmission infrastructure rapidly. The rise of electricity’s role in making energy systems greener, for instance, by transforming transportation with #EVs, means the grid becomes even more critical in supporting sustainability and energy security.   However, the IEA report notes signs that grid development is not keeping pace with the rapid rollout of clean energy technologies both for generation and consumption. In particular, it highlights a 1,500 GW and a growing queue of #renewables projects waiting for a grid connection. This is five times the total volume of wind and solar added worldwide last year. It’s perhaps no surprise then that the IEA is warning that poor grid infrastructure could ultimately put global climate goals at risk.   Of course, adding or replacing 80 million km of power lines by 2040 is no small task. It’s equivalent to the entire existing global grid. The IEA argues that to do so, global grid investment needs to double to reach more than US$600 billion annually by the end of the decade. To achieve such a stupendous feat requires a radical rethink of how grids are regulated, operated, and financed.   One of the key issues is the extended wait times required to both develop grid infrastructure and get projects connected. Such wait times are the biggest obstacles to reaching #netzero goals but are so delayed that many consider the issue a scandal, and this is incompatible with the rapid progress on climate that is needed.   It’s also evident that policy failure is compounded by a lack of creativity and planning. The IEA identifies several strategic actions that can make a difference, including expanding grid interconnections within and between countries and regions. The report further recommends that governments back large-scale #transmission projects and that grid developers and operators embrace digital technologies that can help grids be more resilient and flexible.   It’s also true that at least some renewable energy projects are unrealistic and thus unnecessarily clog up the grid queue, delaying other worthwhile projects. Urgent reform of the grid queue rules, streamlining the planning process, and removing regulatory and bureaucratic barriers will, therefore be another important measure to increase investment in the grid. The clock is ticking, and given the scale of the grid growth challenge, there really is no time to waste. #transmissionlines #electricityinfrastructure #gridinterconnections

The World’s Power Grids Are Failing as the Planet Warms. Outages from Albania to Texas show how electricity networks aren’t ready for climate change. Under the blazing Adriatic sun, life almost stopped in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica earlier this summer. Cars and buses were stuck in gridlock as traffic lights went out, the internet crashed, and security alarms blared in reaction to a sudden loss of power supply. “After one hour without electricity, we were on the verge of panic because it was getting unbearable,” said Drago Martinovic, a 61-year-old retired police officer. “I’m afraid it could last longer if it happens again.” The bad news for Martinovic and hundreds of millions of people around the world is that the risk of outages is getting worse. Hotter summers mean spikes in demand for cooling, as high temperatures cause wires to sag and risk sparking forest fires. Upgrades to power infrastructure haven’t kept pace, even as efforts to reduce use of fossil fuels make electricity distribution more crucial.Unstable networks create instability for businesses, roil politics and threaten lives. Expanding the grid will cost about $24.1 trillion to meet net-zero goals by 2050, outpacing the investment needed in renewable-power capacity, according to BloombergNEF. Because of their vast areas and high energy use, the US and China face the biggest bills, but no country is spared. https://lnkd.in/drSSmd2x

The Cables to Change the World report – built on FEO data modelling, with support from Dartmouth College, Simon Fraser University and the Climate Compatible Growth programme – analyses a key impediment to the global energy transition to net zero: the need to modernise grids to increase access to, and optimise use of, renewable power. The report quantifies, for the first time, the additional revenues that countries such as India and Algeria could reap from exporting their vast surplus renewable energy resources to other countries and regions via better interconnections. “Grid modernisation is the blind spot of the net-zero transition,” said Matthew Gray, CEO & co-founder of TransitionZero. “Too often legacy ‘black-boxed’ data has detached energy models from what is happening on the ground, preventing the grid build-out from keeping pace with the influx of renewables. Our main enemy is time – there is no time for missteps. For climate targets to be met, the effective build-out of transmission infrastructure, underpinned by open data, is critical. Moreover, governments need to grasp that a decision not to invest in the grid is a decision to build more expensive capacity such as nuclear and biomass.” The FEO is an energy system modelling platform that predicts future growth of the electricity generation capacity of 163 countries, representing 99% of the global population. It uses satellite and on-the-ground data of power plants and grid infrastructure. It is built on the OSeMOSYS Global framework, an open-source, open-data model generator for creating global electricity system models. #energytransition #climatechange #electricgrid #gridmodernization #renewableenergy #interconnection #transmission #crossbordertrade #worldgrid #worldgameworkshop #feo

🌟 Electricity: Canada’s Climate Transformer 💡 Building a Low-Carbon Power Future 🔍 Key Developments: ▫️ Policy Impact: Alberta’s coal phase-out, six years ahead of schedule, led to a 12% drop in national electricity emissions in 2024, showcasing the potential of regulatory action (RBC Climate Action Institute). ▫️ Investment Opportunity: An estimated $160 billion is needed to double Canada’s clean electricity supply, unlocking a 27% reduction in buildings and transportation emissions (RBC Analysis). ▫️ Indigenous Equity: BC Hydro’s competitive procurement with a 25% Indigenous equity requirement attracted $3 billion from First Nations, highlighting the role of partnerships in advancing clean energy (Government of British Columbia). 💡 Industry Impact: Canada’s clean electricity grid is positioned as the cornerstone for decarbonizing other sectors, from EV adoption to low-carbon housing. Expanding and greening grids not only reduces emissions but attracts foreign investments like Honda’s $15 billion EV supply chain expansion in Ontario. 🔮 Looking Ahead: Provinces must navigate land-use conflicts, supply chain hurdles, and Indigenous partnerships to meet renewable energy targets. Delaying grid expansion risks energy security and competitiveness in attracting green industries. 💭 How can industries collaborate with governments to accelerate clean grid development? #EnergyTransition #CleanElectricity #Decarbonization #ClimateAction2025 #Sustainability