A core component of assessing physical climate risk is characterizing climate hazards to which power system assets are exposed and generating climate data or hazard characterizations that can be used in assessments such as asset-specific vulnerability assessments or power system models. The Climate Hazard and Exposure Assessment Guidance for Power System Applications provides guidance on how to proceed through the steps of performing hazard and exposure assessments with concrete examples to illustrate key principles or considerations. Climate READi has produced multiple deliverables that provide guidance on the application of climate data in power system analyses. This resource pulls from those various sources to synthesize them into guidance so that the power system community can conduct practical climate hazard and exposure assessments in support of physical climate risk assessment.
Climate hazard assessment, the process of characterizing the climate conditions (e.g., heat waves, wildfire, flood) for a specific geographic region, including those under which power systems operate, is a foundational step in assessing and addressing physical climate risk. Hazard assessments can provide information on whether relevant climate conditions have changed over time or may be changing in the future for a defined geographic region. It can also be used to generate climate data that can be used in exposure and vulnerability assessments. This guidance divides climate hazard assessments into generalized (describing climate conditions in an area) and vulnerability-informed (power-system specific) assessments. It also touches on specific uses of climate data for system modeling studies to capture a range of weather conditions likely to cause stress to the grid. Recommended steps for conducting climate hazard assessments are: defining the scope of the hazard assessment (including systems of interest, audience and outputs), reviewing published guidance, defining the region of interest, defining the time frame of interest and establishing a historical baseline, identifying relevant climate hazards, identifying data to analyze, defining metrics and thresholds, estimating the uncertainty, communicating the outcomes of the assessment, and identifying next steps. Climate exposure assessments identify assets and/or systems in settings or places where they could be adversely affected by a climate hazard (e.g., critical infrastructure within a flood plain). Exposure assessments help narrow down potential subsequent vulnerability, response, or risk assessments. Exposure can be direct or indirect and can change over time. Recommended steps for conducting a climate exposure assessment include defining the scope, determining hazard data needed to establish exposure, assembling data on physical location of assets and hazard data, conducting a geospatial analysis overlaying hazards and asset locations, determining temporal dependence of exposure, identifying uncertainty of the exposure assessment, communicating the outcomes of the assessment, and identifying next steps. Note that the steps for hazard and exposure assessments are iterative and may integrate with hazard or vulnerability assessments.
To access Climate Hazard and Exposure Assessment Guidance for Power System Applications v1.0, click here: https://apps.epri.com/climate-readi-hazard-guide
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