Grant: Alliance Grants

Over the past decade, there has been a growing recognition of the devastating impacts of climate change on the natural environment, ecosystem, and biodiversity. However, the effects of climate change-induced extreme events on infrastructure, particularly electrical grids, have not received as much attention. In particular, wildfires and their associated migratory smoke have direct adverse impact on power grids. Examples of such impacts include damages to critical infrastructure, sudden increase in electrical demand patterns, and decreased efficiency and yield of the generation sector, especially solar farms, all happening simultaneously, posing significant risks to the security and reliability of electrical grids. Floods, heat waves and other extreme events also damage infrastructure, limit availability of supply and change the patterns of demand for electricity. Those risks to the grid translate into often prolonged involuntary power outages. Additionally, power grid-induced ignitions are responsible for a significant portion of catastrophic wildfires and the associated socioeconomic damages. Public safety power shut-offs are often put in place to minimize the risks of further grid-induced ignitions. Regrettably, vulnerable communities with poor socioeconomic profiles, such as Indigenous and northern communities in Canada, the elderly, people with different accessibility needs, and groups with less fortunate economic profiles are among those that could be most affected by power-grid interruptions. To fill the existing gaps on mitigation the impacts of grid interruptions induced by extreme events on people and businesses, the WestReGrid Center will be implemented with four major objectives: 1) be regarded as an impactful, application-inspired research program in the field; 2) facilitate use-oriented innovation and technology transfer; 3) engage community knowledge holders as partners; and 4) build awareness and develop workforce capacity. The ultimate goal is to enable grid operators, inform policy makers, and engage communities in creating a resilient electrical grid that can withstand the challenges of wildfires and other extreme events while ensuring energy equity.