In 2023, the United States endured 28 distinct weather and climate catastrophes, each with a financial impact of at least $1 billion. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this figure sets a new record for the most billion-dollar disasters in a single year.
The critical role of technology in addressing climate challenges
Technology is crucial in helping us access information, conduct business, and connect with others. Climate-related disasters impact individual lives, employment, and finances. When disaster strikes, we also grapple with the potential scarcity of raw materials and manufactured products, highlighting the vulnerabilities of relying solely on centralized resources and their distribution networks.
The risks associated with complete dependence on large, centralized systems and institutions show that when these systems falter, individuals face dire shortages of essential resources, emphasizing the need for more resilient and diversified approaches to resource management and distribution.
Source: NOAA, U.S. 2023 Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters
However, technologies that help us access and generate local resources that build our capacity to create and store critical reserves in our homes, businesses, and communities are helping us bridge these system-wide failures and can be our best defense in challenging times.
Renewable energy to mitigate climate catastrophes
The energy industry is no exception. Fears about energy security have intensified. Aging electrical grids fail to deliver power safely and reliably with increasing frequency. In California alone, thousands of fires were caused by antiquated and vulnerable grid equipment.
Yet energy is crucial to our lives and economies, as both the federal and state governments recognize in designating energy as an “essential critical infrastructure workforce” that must continue to operate in challenging times like the pandemic. Demand for renewable energy generation and storage remains strong and growing, making it still one of the fastest-growing, job-creating sectors in the economy.
Washington has adopted massive renewable energy measures to save the U.S. and the global economy, proving that investment in renewable energy generation and storage technologies is needed to give homes, hospitals, businesses, and government agencies reliable energy supplies during a crisis, expand domestic manufacturing, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and help protect the economy, environment, and public health.
In challenging times, former New York Gov. Cuomo announced details for 21 large-scale renewable energy projects to provide power to 350,000 New Yorkers. These projects will spur $2.5 billion in investment, create 2,000 jobs, and cut carbon emissions by the equivalent of taking 300,000 cars off the road.
Empowering communities with localized energy storage solutions for a resilient future
Communities nationwide have risen to the challenge of building resilience, saving costs, and diminishing pollutants harmful to climate and health. This goal is achievable through access to clean, dependable energy and energy storage systems that can operate independently from the centralized grid in times of failure. Such autonomy in energy provision both enhances community resilience and contributes to environmental and public health improvements.
Integrating battery storage systems is pivotal in bolstering emergency preparedness and ensuring energy security. The heightened vulnerabilities and inefficiencies of centralized resources, as painfully demonstrated by wildfires and power outages, impact lives, jobs, and the economy. We need a shift towards more robust, localized solutions.
Battery storage is at the forefront of this transformation. It empowers homes, businesses, and communities to maintain energy independence during grid failures and reinforces the growing reliance on renewable energy sources. Both small and large-scale investment in battery storage is a proactive step towards a more resilient, sustainable, and economically viable situation.
Learn more about Briggs & Stratton Battery Storage Products to stay resilient and prepared for emergencies.
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