What It Takes to Keep the Lights On in Extremely Cold Weather

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By Liam Sullivan (Contributor) February 1, 2019

Keeping the lights on in extreme cold is no easy feat
Various kinds of extreme weather can obstruct access to electricity, including cold snaps. This power system researcher breaks down what utilities must do withstand disruption, including fixing power lines and providing backup “microgrids.” (Zhaoyu Wang / CityLab)

Bill Sikes/AP

What It Takes to Keep the Lights On in Extremely Cold Weather
ZHAOYU WANG JAN 31, 2019

There are no easy fixes, but there are some key investments and upgrades that keep things going when the weather gets rough.

Polar vortexes. Hurricanes. Wildfires.

With climate change making extreme weather events more frequent and intense, it is getting harder to keep the lights on and HVAC systems running.

As a power system researcher, I believe utilities need to get better at withstanding disasters and the disruption they cause. Investing more heavily is key, especially in infrastructure upgrades, renewable energy, and microgrids—small and self-sufficient sources of power that help consumers either stay off the grid by choice or simply stay connected during outages.
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The U.S. gets many disasters that cause a billion dollars of damage or more every year. (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information)
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