Scientists with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have published a paper in the journal Nature Energy (fee required for access) about sections of the electric grid that are vulnerable to rising temperatures and population changes. According to ORNL, scientists have developed a method to identify substations at the neighborhood level and determine their ability to handle additional demand based on predicted changes in climate and population.
While the paper specifically focused on the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas and their expected level of impact up to 2050, the scientists state that their algorithms could be easily applied to other regions for utilities and city leaders who want similar information.