GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A new analysis shows only one state experiences more major weather-related power outages than Michigan.
The study, published by Climate Central, analyzed reports by utility companies filed to federal agencies and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
A major power outage is any incident where at least 50,000 customers lose power. Between 2000 and 2021, Michigan had 132 major weather-related power outages — second only behind Texas (180). California (129), North Carolina (97) and Pennsylvania (82) round out the top five.
While Texas has far and away the largest amount, it’s also worth noting that the state’s population is nearly triple that of Michigan’s. California’s population is nearly four times higher than Michigan’s.
According to Climate Central, there were 1,542 weather-related major power outages nationwide between 2000 and 2021. The majority of them — 58% — were caused by severe weather including thunderstorms, high winds and rain. Winter weather like ice, snow and freezing rain caused 22%. Another 15% were caused specifically by tropical storms and hurricanes.
This isn’t news to Michigan utility companies like Consumers Energy. Matt Henry, Consumers Energy’s director of grid modernization, told News 8 last year that the company is always looking for ways to cut down on response time to outages and to do more to shore up their infrastructure.
“We are doing everything we can to improve our outage response. We understand the challenges that come when customers lose power,” Henry said. “We are doing everything we can to automate the grid and be able to respond as quickly as we can to get those lights on as fast as possible. The investments we are making — we are really leveraging new technology to be able to do that as quick as we can and as safely as we can.”
He continued: “(Unfortunately) it’s not something that you can do, turn around in a day.”
Climate Central’s report detailed some of the innovations that utility companies are developing, including microgrids and bidirectional charging.
Microgrids are self-sufficient energy systems that cover smaller geographic footprints. So, even in case of an outage, it would be limited to a smaller number of customers.
Bidirectional charging is already featured in some electric vehicles that allow the vehicle’s battery to provide power to a home during a blackout. Ford showcased that feature in its commercial for the 2022 F-150 Lightning. Ford says a fully charged battery could power a house for up to three days and could go as long as 10 days if power is rationed.
