DAYTON – On Monday, AES Ohio, a subsidiary of The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES), announced it joined Climate READi, a three-year initiative launched by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to address energy system climate resilience and adaptation as extreme weather events continue to increase. AES Ohio supports the Climate READi framework which will enable global energy companies, climate scientists, regulators, and other stakeholders to address risks to energy networks from climate change disruption.
Climate READi: Power™ (REsilience and ADaptation initiative) convenes global thought leaders and industry stakeholders to develop a common framework to address this challenge. The Climate READi framework produced from this effort will embody one of the most comprehensive, integrated approaches to physical climate risk assessment.
By facilitating the analysis and applications of climate data, the framework with enable better planning, designing, and operation of resilient energy systems of the future.
“AES Ohio is proud to join Climate READi in its work to proactively strengthen grid resilience against potential climate and weather impacts, now and in the future,” said Kristina Lund, president and CEO, AES US Utilities. “Together, with the other companies that have joined the initiative, we are showing how customized energy solutions and innovative thinking can help organizations of all kinds decarbonize their operations and the grid.”
Across West Central Ohio, AES Ohio is investing $249 million in capital projects over the next four years providing direct customer benefits through a modern, robust, efficient electric grid through its Smart Grid Plan. This is the initial step in AES Ohio’s digital transformation designed to enhance reliability and allow our customers to experience personalized, innovative and seamless energy services. These investments address the upgrade and replacement of aging equipment, hardware and other assets. In addition, the investment will provide new technology, equipment and systems, including a self-healing electric grid and “Smart” AMI meters and other technology that automatically indicate when the power is out, as well as inform estimated time of restoration during outages.
“Joining EPRI’s Climate READi Initiative will help us build on our existing improvement efforts by providing valuable insights into future climate impacts, rather than relying on historical data,” said Lund. “This robust climate modeling will help inform our investments to better deliver long-term reliability for our customers.”
EPRI’s collaborative model will convene the global thought leaders and scientific researchers necessary to build an informed and consistent approach. AES is one of 17 companies that have joined the initiative to date.
Learn more about Climate READi here: www.epri.com/READi
