Enhancing Power Grid Resilience with Renewables amid Climate Change in the USA

Implementing Partner: Build Change

Project Name: Enhancing power grid resilience with renewables amid climate change in the USA

This project explored strategies to fortify power grids against hurricane damage by enhancing outage prediction and preparedness.

By enabling utility companies to anticipate failures before storms hit, it supports faster restoration efforts. Additionally, the study examined solar power integration to sustain electricity supply during outages.

Given hurricanes’ severe disruptions and economic consequences for power infrastructure, these approaches aim to improve grid resilience, minimize recovery times, and ensure reliable energy access during extreme weather events.

Loss to the Power
sector in USA
$ 0 bn
Power outages due to
extreme weather
events
0 %

Impact and Key Findings

1

The project revealed that current machine learning models struggle to predict hurricane-induced power outages accurately. Wind variability significantly affects forecast reliability, resulting in inconsistent outage predictions across both low and high wind conditions.

2

High wind speeds greatly diminish the accuracy of outage predictions, exposing weaknesses in current data and modeling techniques. These limitations hinder efforts to fully capture the intricate effects of extreme weather on power grid stability and resilience.

3

The study highlights the need for advanced research and improved methodologies to refine outage prediction models. Enhancing accuracy and reliability will strengthen disaster preparedness, accelerate recovery efforts, and improve power grid resilience during hurricane-induced disruptions.

Resources

Aishwarya Pillai

Lead Specialist

Alpana heads institutional partnerships, governance, and resource mobilization at CDRI, advancing cross-sector collaborations that drive resilient infrastructure programming across Member Countries and organizations. With over 25 years of experience spanning international development, global health, and the non-profit sector, she brings deep expertise in fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and delivering strategic change. 

At CDRI, Alpana has been pivotal in forging strategic alliances with governments, international organizations, and philanthropies. She also plays a key role in fortifying institutional systems and board governance mechanisms as the Coalition transitions into an international organization. 

Before joining CDRI, Alpana held senior leadership roles at The George Institute for Global Health, Plan India, WaterAid India, and SOS Children’s Villages, leading institutional fundraising and cultivating strategic partnerships for social impact. 

She holds a Master’s in Finance & Control from Aligarh Muslim University and completed Executive Education at Harvard Business School (CSR India). Her work is driven by a commitment to building enduring, values-based partnerships that accelerate sustainable development outcomes. 

Alpana Saha

Director, Partnerships, Governance, and Resource Mobilisation 

Alpana heads institutional partnerships, governance, and resource mobilization at CDRI, advancing cross-sector collaborations that drive resilient infrastructure programming across Member Countries and organizations. With over 25 years of experience spanning international development, global health, and the non-profit sector, she brings deep expertise in fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and delivering strategic change. 

At CDRI, Alpana has been pivotal in forging strategic alliances with governments, international organizations, and philanthropies. She also plays a key role in fortifying institutional systems and board governance mechanisms as the Coalition transitions into an international organization. 

Before joining CDRI, Alpana held senior leadership roles at The George Institute for Global Health, Plan India, WaterAid India, and SOS Children’s Villages, leading institutional fundraising and cultivating strategic partnerships for social impact. 

She holds a Master’s in Finance & Control from Aligarh Muslim University and completed Executive Education at Harvard Business School (CSR India). Her work is driven by a commitment to building enduring, values-based partnerships that accelerate sustainable development outcomes.