While the entire nation has had its share of extreme weather events, Texans have been hit especially hard. Consider recent severe weather events, such as the winter storm in February 2021, which exposed major vulnerabilities in the state's energy infrastructure.
These events can – and have – led to widespread power outages, underscoring the need for a more resilient grid. The impact on long-term power outages on businesses can range from millions of dollars in product damage to lost productivity due to downtime to customer loss.
For businesses that rely on robotics, such as some large grocery store retailers, even a blip in power can cause robots to reboot, which can take hours and lead to food spoilage.
Inclement weather isn’t the only challenge to grid resiliency. The aging infrastructure in Texas is in dire need of modernization to handle current demands, much less future ones. This includes the need to improve transmission lines and upgrade power plants.
As Texas increases its reliance on renewable energy sources like wind and solar, the intermittency of these resources poses a challenge. Ensuring a reliable energy supply requires significant investments in grid management and energy storage solutions to integrate renewables effectively.