The U.S. energy grid is under attack from many angles.
And when it succumbs to a major blow, the effects are disastrous. Be it blackouts during California’s wildfires in the summer of 2020 or the winter storms of 2021 in Texas that left millions without power, we’re increasingly seeing billion-dollar weather and climate disasters to energy grids across the country.
We’re talking about an energy grid that was largely built in the 1950s and 60s before climate change, cybersecurity and a whole host of other threats appeared. So, is it time for an upgrade?
Abdollah Shafieezadeh is the director of Ohio State’s College of Engineering’s RAMSIS Lab (Risk Assessment and Management of Structural and Infrastructure Systems), which assesses critical infrastructure systems and informs decision makers and the public of its findings.
He recently spoke about what is needed to prepare our energy grid for the future.