How to Make the Texas Electric Grid More Resilient

With demand for energy rising and the effects of climate change more apparent than ever, writes KyLeigh Richardson, it becomes crucial to create a resilient power network that won't buckle under the pressures of extreme weather.

When a winter storm battered Texas this February, "69% of people lost electricity for an average of almost two days, 42 hours, while almost half did not have running water for an average of over two days, and more than 100 people died of exposure to low temperatures and dangerous attempts to warm their homes." The storm and its consequent outages "are estimated to have cost the Texas economy anywhere between $80 billion and $130 billion in direct and indirect economic losses by conservative estimates."

The ravages of the February storm highlighted the fragility of our electrical grid and "the importance of building electric resilience." In fact, "[m]any policy and economic experts say pursuing climate resilience is crucial to policymaking and system planning, particularly in order to ensure electric security." With its population projected to almost double by 2050, Texas will see higher demand for energy even as extreme weather events become more common.

Richardson outlines three strategies for resilience: energy efficiency, smart planning, and diversification of energy sources and technologies. "To ensure resiliency, security and further economic development, Texas must be prepared for curves in the road."