What climate change means for America’s aging power grids

Electrical power lines along Great River Road near Trempealeau, Wisconsin, at sunset. Around the U.S., aging power grids can’t keep up with the growing number of weather disasters caused by climate change. Photo by Tony Webster (CC BY-SA 2.0).

The central and southern U.S. is still reeling from a winter storm that brought snow, ice, and the coldest temperatures in decades. Millions of Texans woke up this morning still without power. Texas, which operates its own power grid, has not been able to keep up with the demand for heat.

California also has had blackouts from wildfires and heatwaves. They’re all examples of how the country’s aging power grids can’t keep up with the growing number of weather disasters related to climate change.