The United States is overly reliant on gas plants—and extreme weather is causing them to fail at alarming rates.
We analyzed five recent large-scale power failures in the United States, including the rolling blackouts caused by Winter Storm Uri in 2021. We found that gas plants accounted for most of the failed capacity in all five events.
As the impacts of climate change intensify, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe, increasing the threat to gas plants and, in turn, to the reliability of the power grid. A number of more modern solutions, including clean energy and battery storage, can help decision makers improve grid reliability, while reducing our reliance on gas.