Characterizing Vulnerabilities and Adaptations Associated with Physical Climate Risk to Wind and Solar Assets

As climate conditions continue to change throughout the world and threaten power system components, wind and solar plants in particular may be vulnerable to failures and damages due to more frequent and intense extreme weather events. Therefore, it is important for power companies to better understand the potential impacts of these extreme events on their service territories and how to use this information to characterize and minimize implications to their wind and solar assets. EPRI’s Climate Resilience and Adaptation Initiative (Climate READi) has been dedicated to developing a comprehensive and consistent approach to assessing physical climate risk to the power system. One of its key deliverables was an online inventory of potential asset vulnerabilities with associated vulnerability functions and adaptation strategies. This inventory can be used as a starting point for power companies conducting climate vulnerability assessments for their assets. However, the inventory, and power companies, would greatly benefit from more detailed information on site/model-specific vulnerability functions and on costs and benefits of adaptation strategies to wind and solar assets focused on extreme weather events.

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