A Changing Climate and a Smarter Grid: Critical Linkages - Smart Grid (R) Evolution: Electric Power Struggles - page 200

8 A Changing Climate and a Smarter Grid:
Critical Linkages 1
8.1 Responding to Climate Change
Throughout this topic we have mentioned climate change multiple times, but we have not
explicitly explored it as a motivational force for transforming electricity systems. Several
of the most tantalizing promises of smart grid relate to its potential contribution to climate
changemitigation,climatechangeadaptation,orboth.Althoughsomesmartgridproponents
are not concerned about climate change, the creative responses to climate change that smart
grid embodies motivates a diverse set of smart grid supporters, ranging from environmental
groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund to the U.S. Department of Defense and
the European Commission (see previous chapters, especially 6 and 7 ) . Smart grid could
facilitate climate change mitigation by enabling a transition away from fossil fuels toward
a low-carbon or renewables-based energy system through more dynamic and sophisticated
management and monitoring. Smart grid could also facilitate climate change adaptation
becausethemoredynamicandsophisticatedapproachestomanagementandmonitoringalso
enable more effective preparation for the increasingly frequent and more intense storms and
droughts that threaten electricity system reliability. A smarter grid is viewed by many as a
technologically essential part of addressing climate change.
Responses to climate change are often divided into mitigation and adaptation. Climate
change mitigation refers to steps taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to
decrease the atmospheric concentrations which are disrupting the Earth's energy balance.
Justification of mitigation efforts generally include acceptance of climate scientists' claims
that, although climate change is a natural process, human industrial activity and the burning
of fossil fuels has intensified and increased the rate of change (IPCC, 2014 ) . The assumption
is that, as with ozone depletion (US EPA, 2011 ) , appropriate changes in industrial and
social practices can at least partially repair the damage. Climate change adaptation, on the
other hand, does not necessarily recognize the importance of anthropogenic contributions
to current rates of climate change. Rather it focuses on steps taken to adjust vulnerable
infrastructure and social systems to inevitable or already occurring impacts of a changing
climate.Asof2014,astrongscientificconsensusendorsesstrategicintegrationofmitigation
and adaptation efforts as the most effective way to approach climate change (IPCC 2014 ).