(MIT: Cambridge, MA) -- Will a warming climate and changing weather patterns lead to more grid blackouts and other energy disruptions? Answering that question requires studying both regional climate forecasts and local energy systems, including emerging renewable generation, storage, transmission lines, and demand forecasts. The lack of such studies is one reason why energy developers and grid operators rarely consider climate change when deciding where to build their next project.

Now, MIT researchers have created a way to make more climate-informed energy-siting choices, and shown how it can be used to make energy systems more resilient and reduce blackouts. The researchers’ framework, described in Nature Energy, combines fine-scale meteorology with detailed simulations of energy infrastructure. It shows how the location of new energy projects will play a significant role in meeting future demand in a changing climate.

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