Superstorm Sandy awakens America to fragile state of power grid

After Hurricane Sandy, it’s become pretty clear that major storms are an increasing part of the global reality, causing billions of dollars in damage and leaving coastlines vulnerable to destruction and power outages.

The old antique that is the American power grid, connected largely with overhead lines propped up on wooden poles, seems powerless against the recurring forces of mother nature. 

Jeffrey Leonard, the CEO of the Global Environment Fund, a growth capital-oriented investment firm, said Sandy reminded Americans about their dependency on electricity — and how quickly it can be taken away.

Though most people think of energy as something that comes out of the ground, we are reliant on an electrical grid that Leonard says has been ignored.

“The first step is to pay attention to the electricity infrastructure,” he said. “Sandy taught us the vulnerability of that infrastructure, as many people even today in New Jersey still don’t even have power, electricity, back at their houses.”

Most customers on Long Island regained power Wednesday morning, but some 80,000 customers there and in New York City and New Jersey are still without power as homeowners and business operators must first fix damage their buildings sustained before power can be turned on.

“While there are management issues, it’s a much bigger and more systemic challenge. We’ve not reinvested in our electricity grid in any substantial way for some thirty to forty years,” Leonard said.

And the situation isn’t going to get better if its continually triaged during major disasters.

“It’s like preventive healthcare,” Leonard said. “We’re going to pay gradually over time for preventive maintenance and upgrade, or we’re going to pay for catastrophic failure.”

Ironically, there are projections that say that the United States will be the biggest energy producer in the world by 2020, but with our antiquated grid, it will be difficult to take advantage of, Leonard says.

“We may be swimming in energy, but still left in the dark,” Leonard suggested.