CHALLENGE:
The 2020 fire season was the worst ever recorded in California, burning over 4% of the state’s 100 million acres of land. Colorado also experienced three of the state’s four largest wildfires in history last year. The western U.S. also faces grid capacity constraints due to severe hot and cold weather.

West

CHALLENGE:
A quick sampling of the extreme weather events that hit the Midwest highlight the challenge utilities have in responding to ice and wind load in order to maintain grid reliability. In the summer of 2020, 100 mile per hour winds slammed much of the region thanks to a phenomenon known as a “derecho,” and polar vortex-fueled snowstorms marked a brutally cold winter.

MIDWest

CHALLENGE:
Limited rights-of-way have translated into long delays and cancellations of transmission projects that some utilities had hoped would help achieve clean energy targets. Though not a result of extreme weather, these constraints challenge utilities to come up with innovative approaches to maintain grid reliability and meet decarbonization goals.

Northeast

CHALLENGE:
Hurricanes, tornadoes, and high-wind tropical
storms are just a fact of life in the southern U.S. While there is uncertainty about whether climate change will lead to more frequent and powerful storms, there is no doubt that utilities need to be prepared for sustained wind speeds as high as 160 mph – speeds characteristic of a Category 5 hurricane. 2020 marked the most active hurricane season on record and was the fifth season in a row that had above-normal activity.

southeast

CHALLENGE:
The growth in intermittent renewable generation like wind and solar represents a huge challenge, particularly with the forecasted explosion in distributed energy resources (DER). According to a report released by the consultancy Wood Mackenzie, cumulative DER capacity will reach 387 gigawatts by 2025, representing investments of over $110 billion.

SOUTHWest