7月初，飓风贝丽尔横扫德克萨斯州, it left more than 3 million homes and businesses without power for days or longer. 当地医院 报告峰值 in heat-related illnesses amid the widespread power outages, and at least 七人死亡 远离极端高温.

The crisis in Texas is the latest example of extreme weather knocking out America’s power. 飓风可以破坏电线和电线杆, utility companies may also preemptively shut off power to reduce damage. 例如，今年4月，科罗拉多州的一家公用事业公司 减少权力 to tens of thousands of people on a high-wind day to prevent power lines from sparking 森林大火.

一项估计显示 据报道，美国约80%的重大停电事故都是由地震造成的.S. 在2000年到2023年之间是由天气引起的. As climate change makes extreme weather events like hurricanes, 森林大火, 酷热, 严重的洪水更加频繁和强烈, 这种停电可能会变得更加普遍, 说 Kyri贝克, an associate professor in the Department of Civil, 环境al, and Architectural Engineering.

“The power grid is one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure,” 说 Baker. “Keeping that system safe, secure, and reliable is not only convenient but also life-saving.”

博彩平台推荐今天采访了贝克，他是 可再生和可持续能源研究所, 讨论电网的重要性, how climate change threatens aging infrastructure and what upgrades are needed to support a future powered by renewable energy.

极端天气事件如何影响电网?

Extreme and unpredictable weather is a huge issue for the power grid, especially in areas like Texas that didn't traditionally have a lot of winter storms, 或者那些过去没有热浪的地区. In 2021, Texas had a massive cold snap that froze a lot of natural 气体 infrastructure. So they were unable to pump 气体 to deliver heat to homes or run power plants.

This compounding effect where people couldn't heat their homes or use electricity caused billion-dollar impacts. 这个月, 飓风贝丽尔摧毁了该州的电网, millions of people were left without power to cool their homes, 导致悲剧, 与热有关的死亡.

Why should the grid be included in discussions about reducing emissions? 

The power system is the second-largest source of emissions in the U.S. 博彩平台推荐正在使用更多的能源, especially with the increasing number of artificial intelligence data centers and electric vehicles. While these technologies can be beneficial for the environment, 他们也提出了一个先有鸡还是先有蛋的问题. 因此，使电网脱碳至关重要.

目前的电网能否应对向风能和太阳能的过渡? 

Wind and solar are challenging because they are not controllable in the same way as coal, 气体, 或者核电站. The main issue is intermittency—sunlight and wind are not always available.

The grid requires a constant balance between supply and demand. Unlike roads, where excess traffic can simply slow down, power lines cannot store electricity. This means supply and demand must be balanced almost instantaneously. With renewable energy sources that fluctuate, maintaining this balance becomes even more difficult. If there's too much generation or too much demand for even just a second, 电网可能会失灵, 导致停电.

博彩平台推荐如何为未来的电网做好准备?

目前，停电不是由可再生能源引起的. 大多数是由于与天气有关的问题, such as failing components or power lines touching trees and causing fires. So the infrastructure itself is becoming a big bottleneck to providing reliable energy, 不管输电网的电源是什么.

博彩平台推荐的电网正在老化，一些组件在美国.S. 超过50岁的. It's going to take decades to upgrade the whole grid to fully decarbonize and have a reliable system. Some of this upgrading includes putting power lines underground to make them less susceptible to high winds and wildfire risks. Upgrading people's home energy systems is also part of the process. 

先发制人的断电会变得更加普遍吗? 

Colorado had their first so-called public safety power shutoff in April. 这种情况在加州已经持续多年了, so they have a more robust and streamlined plan for which areas they turn off, 以及他们如何进行植被管理. Colorado will need to move in that direction because we are also a dry, 热, windy area with a power infrastructure that comes very close to trees and buildings. 

首先，科罗拉多州需要一个正式的协议. 其次, we need to educate the public because people don't always understand why their power was cut off, 但他们的邻居却没有. Deciding which area to turn off is a very challenging problem because you want to be safe but also make sure that the people whose health could be impacted during an outage are safe. 

在理想的情况下, there will be a good balance between inconveniencing people and making sure we're not causing another Marshall fire disaster.

消费者能做些什么?? 

One of the biggest things consumers can do is to educate themselves on issues related to the power grid. Respecting that the utility companies have a challenging problem to solve is the first step. 然后追求清洁能源技术, 比如给你的汽车充电或者多骑自行车, 你能采取什么主要措施来降低你的碳足迹. Switching from 气体 appliances in your house to electric ones can also help lower your carbon footprint.

这些设备更容易在屋顶太阳能等设备上运行. 如果你所在的地区停电了，你在屋顶安装了太阳能, being able to disconnect from the grid and power your stove or water heater would be extremely helpful.