Make the grid adaptable

“Unprecedented” has been used so much when it comes to natural disasters of the 21st century, it has become almost meaningless. However, all except for the most lexicographically-inclined meteorologists did not know what a “derecho” was until last May, when 600,000 people in Ontario and Quebec lost power in the wake of that particular wind storm. “Unprecedented” has struck again.

Even if every country meets its greenhouse gas reduction targets, the climate is already changing and will continue to do so. We can make it far more manageable — the less our activities negatively impact the environment, the less the environment will negatively impact us — but the world will continue to be affected by extreme weather, and this will continue to create problems given the age of the infrastructure of Canada’s electrical grid.

Over the past 10 years, the average number of hours of interrupted service has steadily increased — and a significant component of this incline are due to major events, mostly caused by extreme weather. Indeed, there has been a sharp increase in insurance claims due to major storms over the past decade.

The dilemma for Canada’s electricity companies is this: the more we rely on electricity, the more reliable we will need electricity to be. At the same time, extreme weather like wind, ice storms, floods and heat waves will put pressure on the infrastructure that generates and delivers electricity to Canadians.

Adaptation is preparing for the impacts of climate change, like more frequent extreme weather, droughts and wildfires, and hotter temperatures.