This article makes recommendations to utilities and utility regulators for rethinking grid resilience in extreme weather situations. 1) create redundant resources that are geographically dispersed. Equipment located in proximity to each other are likely to all be affected at once. 2) "Keeping the lights on" doesn't necessarily mean "Keeping the grid up and running." Utilities should shift focus to getting people the energy they need, experimenting with on-site generation through solar panels, generators, and batteries. 3) Recognize that instances of extreme weather events are rapidly increasing. Utilities' resilience plans and strategies need to get ahead of this trend to prevent the worst disasters.
Seth Blumsack, " Long power outages after disasters aren’t inevitable – but to avoid them, utilities need to think differently", contributed by James Adams, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 22 November 2021, accessed 25 April 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/long-power-outages-after-disasters-aren’t-inevitable-–-avoid-them-utilities-need-think
Critical Commentary
This article makes recommendations to utilities and utility regulators for rethinking grid resilience in extreme weather situations. 1) create redundant resources that are geographically dispersed. Equipment located in proximity to each other are likely to all be affected at once. 2) "Keeping the lights on" doesn't necessarily mean "Keeping the grid up and running." Utilities should shift focus to getting people the energy they need, experimenting with on-site generation through solar panels, generators, and batteries. 3) Recognize that instances of extreme weather events are rapidly increasing. Utilities' resilience plans and strategies need to get ahead of this trend to prevent the worst disasters.