Why Grid Hardening is No Longer Optional


In the past decade, we have seen “once in a century storms” almost every year, flash floods wiping out entire towns, and extreme heat that melts shoes on pavement. Our climate is becoming more extreme, and we need to be proactive in preparing our infrastructure for more to come. The annual average for U.S. billion-dollar weather and climate disasters has more than doubled over the past five years, surging from nine events each year to a staggering 23 events annually.
In addition to preparing for more intense and frequent weather events in the coming years, our energy mix continues to evolve with the integration of renewables. Our aging energy grids are not built to meet growing energy demands in an increasingly dynamic and volatile environment.
COMMENTARY
Historically, grids were built as reliable, one-way streets with a predictable, steady traffic flow. Today, they’re being asked to function like a complex, multi-lane highway system with two-way traffic and constant, unpredictable road closures and detours. This traditional design no longer fits the world’s evolving needs.
As electricity demand continues to skyrocket worldwide, grid hardening and modernization are needed now more than ever to ensure a stable and secure energy supply.
What’s Driving the UrgencyElectric vehicles, heat pumps, data centers, and new industrial demands are estimated to increase electricity consumption in the European Union by 60% by 2030. To upgrade the distribution grid to meet this need, a projected annual investment of $78.1 billion (€67 billion) is required through 2050.
In the U.S., data centers, transportation, heating and cooling systems, and other contributing factors are putting more pressure on electric grids. Aging power lines are becoming a concerning issue daily: 70% of the grid’s transmission lines are more than 25 years old, with some components dating back to the 1940s.
Weather volatility and catastrophic events continue to cause damage. In 2024 alone, hurricanes and other extreme weather events caused $320 billion in global losses. The U.S. alone marked the second-worst year on record, reaching 27billion-dollar weather disasters in 2024. Across Europe, widespread flooding devastated communities, and the Gulf region saw historic rainfall with insured losses climbing to $3.4 billion.
At the same time, global average temperatures have risen significantly, with 2024 cited as the warmest year since global records began in 1850. Air conditioning and fans are necessary not only for comfort, but safety in this kind of heat, which requires even more electricity. The International Energy Agency projects that global electricity demand for air conditioning will triple by 2050, putting immense pressure on grids worldwide.
Additionally, grids are increasingly decentralized. Grids built around centralized generation are now contending with a system in reverse. Two-way power flows, rooftop generation, and community-scale assets are changing how power is generated and delivered. This evolution requires an innovative re-engineering of how and where resilience is built.
Resilience Requires Endurance, Adaptability, and RecoveryIt’s important to acknowledge that disruption to the grid is inevitable. What’s most important is the grid’s ability to respond, recover and operate under stress. This can be achieved with a focus on endurance, adaptability and recovery.
Endurance is about strengthening infrastructure to handle physical and electrical stress from hurricanes to short-circuit faults. That includes undergrounding electrical lines, equipment engineered for harsh conditions, and upgrading assets to perform better under pressure and last longer in adverse conditions.
Adaptability is about real-time awareness and intelligent control, which enables utilities to respond proactively to grid demands. A modern, data-driven smart grid with flexible protection schemes can automatically adjust to dynamic conditions, reconfigure the network, and identify and address issues before they become bigger problems. This not only keeps the power on safely and reliably but also enhances the grid’s overall efficiency and responsiveness.
Recovery is all about speed. Remote operation, fault isolation, and predictive maintenance are key to accelerating restoration and avoiding extended service interruptions. Modular infrastructure offers a way to extend resilience quickly.
Hardening the Grid BackboneGrid resilience requires physically durable and digital infrastructure. Supplying enough electricity to meet the global surge will require more than 49.7 billion miles (80 million kilometers) of grid infrastructure to be built or modernized by 2040. That’s basically rebuilding the entire global grid infrastructure in only 15 years.
To meet this challenge, utilities will need systems that withstand daily operational stresses and recover quickly from faults and environmental shocks.
Their equipment, like switchgears, must be robust enough to withstand environmental stressors—like extensive water submersion, heavy winds and fire—and last for decades. Durable equipment ensures power systems reduce the risk of failure under high loads, high winds, and prolonged exposure to the elements to support energy needs even in the harshest environments.
With resilient infrastructure we have to make grids smarter. Digital monitoring and measuring capabilities along with predictive maintenance capabilities are essential to ensuring grid efficiency and resiliency. Smart grids can be designed for fault detection and isolation, working in the most adverse of conditions.
The Energy Transition Needs Grid HardeningElectrification, decentralization, and climate volatility are straining systems that weren’t originally designed to address these challenges. Instead of simply reacting to today’s needs, tomorrow’s grid must be ready to meet the challenges of the next 100 years.
That also means anticipating future demand driven by population growth, ongoing technological advancements, and the growing digital economy. A successful energy transition—and one that life itself depends on—requires a grid built to perform under pressure and be ready to scale.
Utilities that invest now will improve the resilience of their infrastructure and help ensure a reliable foundation for decades to come.
—Khalid Mandri is president of Installation Products at ABB.
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