The U.S. electric grid is outdated and overtaxed, and it’s only growing more vulnerable under the pressures of soaring demand, extreme weather and climate change.
Driving the news: The conflagration that decimated Maui — in the process putting Hawai’i’s utility provider in massive operational and financial jeopardy — is a stark reminder of just how bad this problem is.
Why it matters: Despite years of talk about modernization, the world’s largest economy is struggling with a vulnerable grid that does not appear prepared to deal with soaring heat, a warming climate and other disruptive events that could literally turn off the lights for millions of people.