ComEd, Argonne study climate change impacts on power grid

ComEd has teamed up with the Argonne National Laboratory’s Center for Climate Resilience and Decision Science to pursue an expansive Climate Risk and Adaptation Study to understand the future impacts climate-change-induced weather will have on the grid.

The changing climate brings several concerns, such as rising heat and flood risks, from which the power grid is not insulated. Accordingly, the partners will also work alongside the three-year Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) Climate READi: Power initiative. They will tap established climate science and industry best practices to help ComEd plot and build a more resilient infrastructure to meet nature’s new dangers. It will also form the first climate adaptation study for the region.

“Families and businesses in northern Illinois have a front-row seat to the increasingly severe weather caused by climate change, which has brought record-breaking temperature swings, historic tornadoes, and hurricane-strength winds that continue to test the resiliency of the power grid and the reliable energy our customers have come to expect,” ComEd CEO Gil Quiniones said. “As we plan the future grid investments required to enable the state’s clean energy transition, it is essential that we fully understand future grid challenges – including the impact of climate change and electrification – to ensure our grid can adapt to changing conditions and maintain our outstanding system reliability and resiliency. We expect that the final report of this study will be released no later than the filing of our new Grid Plan so that our customers and other grid stakeholders can also consider it.”

ComEd will use the impending study to inform its future grid plans, including the grid plan. That plan should be filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) in January 2023. Modern best practices emphasize historical weather, but the partners here argue climate change demands increased examinations and predictions of future weather possibilities.

However, new weather conditions will not be the only thing considered in this study. Decarbonization efforts like electrification could place further reliance on the grid through increased electricity demand across multiple sectors. They could also test the limits of existing utility equipment standards and the overall operational environment.

“Argonne’s partnership with ComEd shows what’s possible when science and industry work together for climate resiliency,” Paul Kearns, Argonne Director, said. “It’s exciting to see that our collaboration supports effective planning for ComEd and the communities it serves with the application of our climate, infrastructure, and decision science capabilities. Ultimately, our shared goal is to provide clean, affordable, reliable power that households and businesses depend on and ensure they are prepared for whatever future climate events unfold.”