Electricity Grid Resilience

Download or read book Electricity Grid Resilience written by United States. Government Accountability Office and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, changes in the earth’s climate are under way and expected to increase, posing risks to the electricity grid that may affect the nation’s economic and national security. Annual costs of weather-related power outages total billions of dollars and may increase with climate change, although resilience investments could help address potential effects, according to the research program. Private companies own most of the electricity grid, but the federal government plays a significant role in promoting grid resilience—the ability to adapt to changing conditions; withstand potentially disruptive events; and, if disrupted, to rapidly recover. DOE, the lead agency for grid resilience efforts, conducts research and provides information and technical assistance to industry. FERC reviews mandatory grid reliability standards. This report describes: (1) potential climate change effects on the electricity grid; and (2) actions DOE and FERC have taken since 2014 to enhance electricity grid resilience to climate change effects, and additional actions these agencies could take. GAO is making two recommendations: (1) DOE should develop a department-wide strategy to enhance grid resilience to climate change, and (2) FERC should identify and assess climate change risks to the grid and plan a response.