Modeling Climate Change

There is strong evidence that temperatures and humidity are increasing and likely to impact electricity sales and peak demand. This was confirmed in the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Assuming that future weather will look like an average of the past, is no longer viable. Warming temperatures are expected to contribute to more extreme weather events including heat waves, cold waves, drought and fire weather, and more severe storms. Utility management, regulators and IRP stakeholders are asking how increasing temperatures will impact future energy and peak demand requirements. Following up a previous presentation on temperature trends, this webinar will explore how temperatures and humidity impact electricity load and the approaches for modeling increasing temperatures on long-term hourly and peak demand.