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Power outages becoming more common due to climate change, report says

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In this file photo, the setting sun silhouettes electric transmission lines.

Associated Press

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Courtesy of Climate Central

Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the United States in the number of major power outages since 2000, according to a study by Climate Central.

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Courtesy of Climate Central

The number of major power outages in the U.S. caused by severe weather has increased significantly in the past decade, according to a study by Climate Central.

Major weather-related power outages are becoming more common across the United States due to climate change, a new study found, with Pennsylvania near the top of the outage list.

The analysis reported last week by the research nonprofit Climate Central ranks Pennsylvania fifth among U.S. states with the most major power outages (outages that affected 50,000 people or more) caused by severe weather.

Climate Central analyzed all reported major power outages (affecting 50,000 or more) from 2000-21 and found the average number of weather-related power outages has increased by 78% in the past 10 years.

The group looked at more than 1,500 major outages reported to the federal government between 2000 and 2021.

The Climate Central report found 83% of reported major outages were caused by weather events ranging from hurricanes and tornadoes to drought-driven wildfires.

Climate Central’s analysis found that of the 1,542 weather-related major outages reported since 2000, 58% were attributed to severe weather such as rain, wind and lightning. Winter weather, such as snow, ice and/or freezing rain, accounted for 22%, while 15% were due to hurricanes and tropical systems. And, climate researchers note, severe weather incidents are becoming more intense and more frequent as temperatures rise globally.

As severe weather fueled by climate change pushes the nation’s aging electrical infrastructure past its limits, outages likely will become more frequent if utilities don’t act to shore up electrical systems, the study concludes.

“Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather that wreaks havoc on our power grid – from wildfire to heat waves and hurricanes,” the study’s authors wrote. “As (climate) conditions continue to shift, (electrical) systems will be exposed to more extreme weather throughout their operational lifetimes.”

The majority of the nation’s electrical grid was established decades ago and wasn’t built to function in the present-day climate, as storms and other weather events grow fiercer and more frequent, the group noted.

“As conditions continue to shift, systems will be exposed to more extreme weather throughout their operational lifetimes, potentially impacting their performance, resilience, and capacity to meet electricity demand,” the report concludes.

Much of the electrical infrastructure is above ground and vulnerable to high winds, heavy rain, ice, snow and lightning. Where power lines are buried, they are susceptible to flooding, the study found.

Power outages are more than just an inconvenience. A lack of refrigeration, heating, and air-conditioning can be dangerous, or even deadly, especially during extended outages. And loss of power can have potential health consequences, especially for those who rely on electricity for critical medical equipment.

Pennsylvania ranked fifth – behind Texas, Michigan, California, and North Carolina – in weather-related outages, with 82 over the last 22 years.

The 2021 Pennsylvania Climate Impacts Assessment 2021 projects a continued trend of increasing heavy rainfalls and heatwaves, along with rising average temperatures in the commonwealth.

According to state Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Deborah Klenotic, Pennsylvania’s climate has undergone a long-term warming of more than 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 110 years, and the DEP projects that Pennsylvania’s statewide annual temperature will likely rise another 5.9 degrees, on average, by 2050, compared to what it was in 1971 through 2000. Pennsylvania’s climate has also become wetter, with an average 10% increase in precipitation over the past 110 years. Every county will continue to get warmer and wetter, with an additional 8% average increase in rainfall, particularly in winter and spring, by 2050.

Additionally, notes Pennsylvania State climatologist Kyle Imhoff, over the past several decades, the Northeast, including Pennsylvania, has seen anywhere between a 50 to 70% increase in very heavy rainfall days (more than 1 to 2 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period).

“These sorts of rainfall events can lead to flash flooding and the potential for power outages,” said Imhoff. “In short, extreme weather event impacts could certainly lead to a persistently high number of power outages in any individual year.”

And, said Imhoff, Pennsylvania sits in a region of the country with the potential to get frequent severe thunderstorms, tropical cyclone impacts, strong winter storms, flash flooding events, and extended periods with very hot and very cold weather.

Said Klenotic, “Climate change is bringing more frequent heatwaves, flooding, drought, and other extreme weather events that can threaten the health, safety, and security of all Pennsylvanians, especially vulnerable and underserved populations. We can expect to see more events like what happened in September 2021, when tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians experienced extended power outages during Hurricane Ida.”

The 2021 Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan outlines pathways to adapt to climate change in six areas that are at high risk of impacts.

“One area is infrastructure, including utilities. The electric grid will be challenged by flooding, severe storms, and potentially higher demand on high-heat days, as well as by increased vegetation overgrowth and intrusion on to electric utility rights-of-way,” said Klenotic.

One of the recommendations in the Climate Action Plan is for utilities to adapt their systems to make them less vulnerable during extreme weather events, by putting electrical equipment underground, strengthening utility poles, improving real-time coordination of all parts of the grid, including microgrids and battery storage, during extreme storms, and other measures.

Pennsylvania will receive $8.1 million in funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act every year for five years through the U.S. Department of Energy grant program to address the power grid.

“Through thoughtful investments of this funding, and other measures, we can ensure that all Pennsylvanians can depend on having heat, air-conditioning, medical equipment, lights, refrigeration, web access, and other necessities during future extreme weather events,” said Klenotic.

The Climate Central report added that the most significant action the U.S. can take to stave off the most dire impacts of climate change and reduce stress on the power grid is reducing greenhouse gas pollution.

“Ultimately, cutting emissions is the most meaningful action that can be taken to slow the rate of warming and the mounting stress on our power grid, and to allow more time to plan and adapt to our changing climate,” the authors wrote.

Note: The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers guidelines for preparing for a power outage. Visit https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/power-outage_information-sheet.pdf.

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