Have you experienced more power outages this year than you can recall in comparison to previous years? The analysis conducted by nonprofit research group Climate Central, has shown that there’s a reason for that.
From 2000 to 2021 83% of outages were caused by weather related events which may intensify as the climate continues to warm. Kaitlyn Trudeau, data analyst for Climate Central says, “The system we have right now was not built in a time and climate we’re experiencing now.”
The largest number of power outages were reported in Texas, followed by Michigan, California, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
According to Trudeau the climate crisis will continue to cause issues and force grid operators to encourage residents to use less electricity when the supply is unable to meet the demands placed on the system. The solution to the problem would require states to invest in smart grid technologies, as well as improving the current system to withstand more severe weather changes.
Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell
