Your life depends on ‘the grid.’ It’s under assault by climate-fueled weather.

Weather-related power outages are on the rise across the nation.

Since 2000, most of Tennessee’s major power outages — defined as affecting at least 50,000 people – happened because of storms, according to a new report from Climate Central. And the frequency of those outages has increased.

“It’s a big deal, as far as grid problems go,” said Eric Larson, an energy scientist at Princeton University.

Courtesy Climate Central

Severe weather, like wind, rain or thunderstorms, caused nearly 60% of weather-related major power outages in the U.S. since 2000.

Tennessee reflects a national trend. Between 2011 and 2021, the average annual number of weather-related power outages in the US increased by nearly 80% compared to 2000 to 2010. In Tennessee, 30 of 36 major outages in the past two decades have happened since 2011.

Regionally, the Southeast has experienced the most weather-related major power outages. This metric reflects how some weather events, like hurricanes, can cause outages across state lines because the storm is widespread and the grid is so interconnected. North Carolina had the fourth-highest amount of any state, with 97 outages since 2010.

Most severe weather events are getting stronger and happening more often because of climate change.

Storms are just part of the problem

But felled trees during storms isn’t the only issue. The warming climate has translated into more heat waves, which increase electricity demand and occasionally melt cables. Or it can lead to winter freezes in southern states that compromise energy supplies, like natural gas during the Texas blackout last year.

Drought can also disrupt the grid. Fossil fuel and nuclear plants require water for cooling, and hotter temperatures necessitate more cooling.

In 2008, the Tennessee Valley Authority lost a third of its nuclear capacity when its local water reservoir dropped to vulnerable levels. The three reactors at the Browns Ferry plant in Alabama were idled to prevent overheating of the Tennessee River and potential algal blooms.

Courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority

Nuclear plants rely on water for cooling, so they are sited near water resources. Above, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant sits on the Chickamauga Reservoir.

Reducing outages requires a stronger, decentralized grid. One fix is adding microgrids, which provide electricity to smaller communities. Princeton University has a microgrid with underground wires that can decouple from the regional grid during storms.

“When the Superstorm Sandy came through, it was one of the few places in this area that had the lights on still,” Larson said.

Other solutions include employing smart grid technologies; bidirectional charging for electric vehicles, which allows cars to power homes during blackouts while also serving as storage for the grid; and incentives for the public to cut back on usage during peak times (versus NES asking people).

More: TVA, NES ask Tennesseans to conserve electricity during blistering heat wave, a Band-Aid for a bigger problem

These efforts will become more complex as the nation electrifies buildings and most transportation, which together represent about 40% of the nation’s greenhouse gases. So, to reach climate-neutrality by 2050, the U.S. may need to triple the size of the grid, according to a report Larson co-authored for Princeton.

This also means opportunities for improvement to a system that dates back to the 1880s.

“If two-thirds of our grid isn’t built yet for the future, we have the chance to build it in the right way,” Larson said.