Climate Change Impacts on Power Systems. YaleGlobal. Debabrata Chattopadhyay, Morgan D. Bazilian and Mohar Chattopadhyay. February 5, 2019
Climate change threatens all industries with storms, wildfires, droughts, heat waves and rising seas, and the energy industry has no special standing. “Together, these risks can lead to power outages, increased electricity prices and increased maintenance, and capital costs – along with damaging economic, environmental, and public health consequences,” explain Debabrata Chattopadhyay, Morgan Bazilian and Mohar Chattopadhyay. “Growing evidence now suggests the entire energy supply chain, particularly power generation transmission and distribution, is vulnerable to climate change and disaster events.” Pacific Gas & Electric Company declared bankruptcy following the fierce wildfires that tore through Northern California in November, and other power companies in places as diverse as the New York metropolitan region and Bangladesh prepare. The three researchers call for a resilience-focused approach: hardening power systems, anticipating climate risks for any planning and investments, and relying on state-of-the-art technologies for adaptation. The power industry is large, complex and essential, and the writers urge equal attention on mitigation and adaptation. [Note: contains copyrighted material].
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