Over the past decade, the global temperature has increased. 2024 marked the hottest year on record, and continuing into 2025, there has been a reported 195 countries and territories where extreme heat days have doubled due to climate change. In one unusual consequence, power grids, the backbone of technology in the modern era, face an extreme risk due to increased heat waves.
Scientists observed five key points: 1) The demand for electricity increases with every heat surge - cooling adds tens of terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity demand, 37% increase in US demand during spring/summer. 2) Reduction in power plant efficiency - combustion turbines experience lower output and efficiency due to heat affecting air flow mass, material durability, and workload demand. 3) Overheating and system failures - transformers, power lines, and substations overheat during heat surges, experiencing increased resistance, degraded performance, and fire risk. During 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave, electrical utilities in Spokane shut off power to avoid transformers exploding. 4) Power grid market spikes in price - increases by 1,600% as seen in England in just one week. 5) Load shedding - cutting power is a temporary solution to prevent grid failure but not sustainable.
Solutions include modernizing grids with sensors and better insulation. People can conserve power by adjusting thermostats when away, closing window shades, unplugging utilities when not in use, and maintaining cooling equipment.