IRENA has recently published a report highlighting the growing vulnerability of power systems to extreme weather events driven by climate change. The frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters have increased sharply, exposing ageing generation, transmission and distribution assets to higher outage risks. Extreme events such as floods, cyclones, heatwaves and wildfires are triggering cascading failures across power systems, with significant economic and social costs. With electricity expected to account for over 52 per cent of final energy consumption by 2050, the resilience of power infrastructure has emerged as a critical adaptation priority.
The report underscores that conventional ‘fix-it-when-it-breaks’ approaches are no longer viable, calling for proactive, climate-informed planning across the power value chain. Mapping system-wide vulnerabilities, integrating climate and weather data into grid planning, and prioritising high-impact resilience investments are identified as key steps. Distributed energy resources, grid-forming inverters, energy storage and smart grid solutions are highlighted as central to improving system flexibility and recovery. IRENA also stresses the role of supportive policies, innovative financing mechanisms and cross-sectoral collaboration in accelerating investments in climate-resilient power infrastructure.
Read report here