It’s not even June, and China is experiencing sweltering temperatures in Shanghai, with peak power demand from Guangdong to Hainan.
Extreme weather is already promising a fresh test of the electricity grid just months after heat waves and drought throttled hydropower and triggered widespread power shortages. The good news is that China is better prepared than many other countries, according to a report from The Lantau Group.
Learning lessons from China will be important for grid operators around the world as a warming planet makes once-rare climate events more commonplace — and more necessary to plan for. While the Chinese government has been quick to respond to the threat, it’s less clear that other countries, are rising to the challenge.