Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Isaias left two million people without power. The power outages went on for a week after the storm in Connecticut, affecting 4,000 people. 

The recent Derecho storm also caused substantial power damage in Iowa, with more than 160,000 costumers without electricity five days after the storm. 

According to Climate Central, major outages increased ten-fold from the 1980s to 2012. An increase in weather-related outages doubled from 2003 to 2013. 

(Photo: Getty Images)
Power lines criss-cross at street level after Tropical Storm Isaias and its high winds heavy rain passed through on August 4, 2020, in Guttenberg, New Jersey. Fallen trees and debris littered the streets across the area, leaving thousands of people without power and disrupting subway service, (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

In 2015, 3,571 total outages lasted an average of 49 minutes. According to a 2016 report, the average utility customer had 1.3 power interruptions with a total blackout time of four hours on average. 

These figures are telling of the worsening power situation in the country. Research reveals that power outages in the United States are higher than any developed country. Residents of the upper Midwest, for example, say that costumers experience blackout at an average of 92 minutes every year. In contrast, Japan experiences only 4 minutes of outage every year. 

Popular science outlines five significant reasons why the US gets more power outages than other developed countries: 

READ: More than 160,000 Residents in Iowa Still Without Power After Derecho


Facilities Are Aging and Badly Need Upgrades

    The oldest power lines in the country were built in the 1880s. The majority of today's grid was built in the 1950s and 1960s. Its life expectancy was for 50 years. The poles, wires, and transformers were initially overbuilt decades ago, Alexandra von Meier, an electrical engineer at the University of California, Berkeley said. It has now reached its maximum capacity, and the old equipment is flickering out.

    • Slow response of utility companies to perform maintenance. 

    The majority of American power costumers get their electricity from distribution systems managed by investor-owned utilities. Although these private-owned utilities are obliged to provide quality service to its customer, shareholders are frequently interested in gaining profits. Thus they try to stretch the lifespan of the equipment or facilities as much as possible to increase profit. 

    According to Mark-Paul, an environmental economist, utilities charge for maintenance, yet maintenance is often delayed. Shareholder dividends are, however, prioritized, he said. 

    He cited a case earlier this year when Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) was charged with 84 counts of manslaughter after regulars discovered that the company's poorly-maintained equipment caused the 2018 Camp Fire. 

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      Expensive and Formidable Systems Upgrade

        One option for upgrading is putting wire underground or hardening. This technology is helpful, particularly in places where high winds and fires are prevalent. But this is not an as easy feat. According to the US Department of Energy, the American electrical grid is the most massive machine on the planet. 

        Some utilities like San Diego Gas and Electric have started this formidable task, but it does not come cheap. PG& E estimates that converting overhead lines to underground would cost $3 million per mile in urban settings and $1 million in less densely populated areas. The cost is prohibitive; thus, utilities barely do such upgrades, Sayanti Mukherjee, a civil engineer specializing in energy resilience at the University of Buffalo. Implementing hardening may require the partnership of government and utilities to find ways to cover the cost.

        • Extreme weather events are getting more intense. 

        Atlantic ocean might have twice the usual number of hurricanes this year. Intense summer heat sparks more blazes in fire-prone areas. Although climate change may vary in a domain or year, more intense wildfires, hurricanes, and other disasters bring more significant potential to disrupt electric grids.

        • National regulations on electric distribution limited by local and state entities 

        Countries like New Zealand and several European nations regulate electric distribution at the national level. On the other hand, the US is covered by a patchwork of "state and local entities." Paul says a system-level change is necessary to strengthen the "government entities-public utility commissions" to regulate private utilities.

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