Our whole society depends upon electricity to function. Modern technologies do wonders for people everywhere, and it’s interesting that we’re so reliant on a power source discovered a long time ago.
Because of how weather impacts the efficiency of electricity, it’s worth thinking about ways to improve infrastructure. Let’s see how the climate affects our electricity.
The Main Culprits
Since the creation of our power infrastructure, rain and snowfall have duked it out with electricity. Wires without proper insulation may suffer from water damage, which effectively limits power performance rates to zero. Water damage causes blowouts, which almost always lead to blackouts. In fact, water is one of the three environmental considerations to think about when choosing power supplies, alongside heat and dirt.
Floods threaten the integrity of underground wires, especially in low elevation areas. Luckily, the presence of rain and snow doesn’t often affect the efficiency of electricity directly. This is because of the protective measures that people take. Ultimately, the biggest issue is damage-related outages.
Severe Storms
Now, some severe storms absolutely impact our electric supply, both directly and indirectly. For instance, major blizzards for extended periods directly influence the power grid, as more people become trapped at home running their heaters. Our grid is a tad outdated, which means it can barely weather these storms.
Hurricanes and tornados are two climate events that are potentially catastrophic to electric efficiency. They’re capable of tearing down vast amounts of equipment, causing many blackouts in a given region.
New Environmental Conditions
The planet is getting warmer every year, and this climate influx influences many aspects of our society. Electricity isn’t safe from these new conditions, as heat and rising seawater both affect power efficiency. Electricity works best at room temperature, or 68 degrees Fahrenheit. With each degree over that mark, our appliances (industrial, commercial, and residential) work more.
So on a 90-degree summer day, electricity is significantly less effective. This means that areas of the country with multiple 100-degree days will have power operating far below the preferred efficiency. Heatwaves are becoming more common, meaning these issues can last for weeks and even months on end.
By understanding how weather impacts the efficiency of electricity, we can better protect our power grid and look towards the future. It seems that weather affects renewable energy less. Harnessing renewable energy sources may help to counteract stressful conditions.
