Shutterstock/Rudy Umans.Īs a result, power outages are on the rise. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant is operational since 1976. This means that the current system was built to withstand the climatic conditions of the past. And these components were expected to last 50 years or less. The design of some components rests on assumptions about precipitation derived from actuarial tables reflecting the rainfall patterns of 60 or 70 years ago. ![]() The bulk of the nation’s transmission system was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s. Seventy percent of power transformers and transmission lines are at least a quarter century old. For US nuclear plants, the average age is 40 years. The nation’s power plants have an average age of more than 30 years. Four and a half million people lost electricity, resulting in property damage of nearly $200 million. Texas suffered a devastating outage caused by a severe winter storm in 2021. It consists of more than ten thousand power plants, close to 650,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, and over 6.3 million miles of distribution lines. The US power grid’s infrastructure is massive. Attaining it, however, will require sustained planning and investment. Fortunately, a climate-resilient electricity grid is within reach. As a result, climate effects-heavier rainfall, higher winds, deeper droughts, extreme temperatures, and more intense wildfires-increasingly disrupt the supply and delivery of power. ![]() Because much of the grid’s infrastructure sits above ground, it is particularly susceptible to new weather extremes. The current grid was built to withstand a climate that no longer exists. According to the US Energy Information Administration, power consumption will continue to grow until 2050.īut the US electric grid is in trouble. Without power, economic productivity grinds to a halt. Electricity also keeps critical infrastructure and supply chains functioning. Electricity lights homes, schools, and businesses it enables toilets to flush, powers refrigeration, recharges batteries, and sustains communications.
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