Skip to main content

How climate change makes it harder to keep the lights on

Thursday, Jul 11 2013

Share
Solar in the News

The Washington Post

Coal plants are shutting down because of a lack of cooling water. Hydropower dams are struggling to generate electricity because reservoir levels are dropping. Western wildfires are damaging power lines, causing blackouts in cities like San Diego.

There are all sorts of ways that nature can wreak havoc on the U.S. energy system, making it difficult to keep the lights on. But as humans heat up the planet, these sorts of disruptions are likely to become even more common in the decades ahead.