Wildfires
We are already seeing the damages.
Wildfires demonstrate some of the inherent weaknesses within the grid. Large power stations are typically far away from residential consumers, requiring transmission infrastructure. “If this infrastructure becomes compromised either due to age or some other external hazard — like extremely high heat or wildfire — grid operators have a difficult time maintaining reliable service.”
Between 2000 and 2016, wildfires in California caused over $700 million dollars of damage to transmission and distribution systems.