U.S. Power Grid

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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

The U.S. power grid is outdated and overtaxed — and it's only growing more vulnerable under the pressures of soaring demand, extreme weather and climate change, Axios managing editor Javier E. David writes. Video evidence points to fallen power lines as a possible cause of Maui's wildfires — the deadliest in the U.S. in 105 years. The cause is still being investigated. But Hawaiian Electric faces criticism for not shutting off power amid high-wind warnings. One surveillance video showed a cable dangling in a charred patch of grass, surrounded by flames, in the early moments of the wildfire. Why it matters: A 2021 report by the National Conference of State Legislatures estimates that at least $1.5 trillion would be needed through 2030 "to modernize the grid just to maintain reliability." University of Texas at Austin grid expert Joshua Rhodes told Axios Closer that the U.S. is "under-invested by probably a few trillions of dollars." What's happening: Wildfires, hurricanes and other calamities are heaping pressure on an electric infrastructure that's "aging, and ... being pushed to do more than it was originally designed to do," the Energy Department says. President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which this week turned 1 year old, dedicated billions to utilities and clean energy. But that barely scratches the surface of what's needed.

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Texans don't trust the power grid

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

A new survey of 1,200 registered Texas voters by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found little confidence in the state power grid. State of play: Nearly two thirds of those surveyed said they thought it's likely the state will experience rolling or temporary blackouts this summer, per the Texas Politics Project poll. Fifty-one percent of the poll's respondents said they thought it's likely there will be a widespread failure of the electric grid this summer. Threat level: Grid operators said last week that there's a 12% chance of rolling blackouts in August because of increased demand. Flashback: Last summer, Texas set 10 peak demand records and Texans were asked to conserve electricity at least 11 times. The fine print: The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.83% and was conducted May 31 to June 9, before ERCOT warned of summer outages.