EPRI teams up with NOAA to assess climate risk in the energy sector

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is teaming up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop a scientifically based approach to physical climate risk assessment in the energy sector.

The organizations state that a consistent approach to the assessment of physical climate risks is imperative, as extreme weather increases in frequency and intensity, along with society’s dependence on electricity. This requires an understanding of the increasing probability and intensity of hazards like extreme precipitation, heatwaves, and hurricanes, driven by potential changes in climate.

To improve that understanding, EPRI and NOAA – which signed a three-year memorandum of understanding – have agreed to share publicly available knowledge, data, industry specific research, and ideas related to physical climate risk assessment. They have also agreed to leverage respective resources, expertise, and facilities, among other provisions.

“Proactively strengthening grid resilience against potential climate and weather impacts is going to take unprecedented collaboration among a diverse set of stakeholders,” EPRI President and CEO Arshad Mansoor, said. “NOAA is world-renowned for its weather and climate monitoring and modeling. EPRI and NOAA complement one another’s skillsets and together can bring to the table further credibility and science as we collectively tackle this pressing challenge.”

Earlier this year, EPRI launched Climate READi: Power, convening global thought leaders and industry stakeholders to address power system climate resilience and adaptation. READi stands for REsilience and ADaptation initiative. To date, there are 22 members of Climate READi, including NOAA, in addition to other key stakeholders, including electric companies such as AES, Alliant Energy, Ameren, Con Edison, Consumers Energy, Exelon, National Grid, Southern Company, among others. The Climate READi framework will be a first-of-its-kind effort that will embody one of the most comprehensive, integrated approaches to physical climate risk assessment.

“NOAA’s trusted climate data and tools help empower individuals, communities, and businesses to understand the risks from climate and extreme weather events and make informed decisions,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, said. “This transformational partnership with EPRI allows NOAA to provide climate data to a critical industry and helps the agency understand the energy sector to better anticipate future information delivery needs – laying the foundation for a Climate-Ready Nation.”