Climate extremes can cause serious infrastructure damage to energy systems

For many in New Jersey, the memory of Superstorm Sandy’s devastation remains a raw nerve—a stark lesson in how quickly the lights can go out.

Now, a team of engineers right here in Princeton is using lessons from an island’s power failure to ensure our own grid is stronger for the next big blow.

Their laboratory was Puerto Rico during Hurricane Fiona in 2022. Though only a Category 1 storm, it triggered a total blackout in under ten minutes.

The detailed data recorded during that collapse has become the foundation for groundbreaking research aimed at hardening energy grids against the very climate extremes that increasingly threaten the Jersey Shore and our inland communities.

The Princeton-led team has developed sophisticated new models to predict and prevent catastrophic blackouts caused by hurricanes and other severe weather.

This work is not just about fixing today’s grid; it’s about ensuring the stability of our future energy system as New Jersey aggressively pursues its goal of 100% clean energy by 2035—a target that relies heavily on weather-dependent solar and wind power.

“We’re facing a dual challenge,” said research leader Ning Lin, a Princeton professor of civil and environmental engineering. “We need to build a resilient grid to withstand the more frequent storms that climate change brings, even as we transition to renewable energy sources that are themselves vulnerable to those same storms. Our work is about navigating that risk right here in New Jersey.”

One of the team’s models, CRESCENT, simulates how cascading power failures can plunge a system into darkness.

By running thousands of storm simulations, they found that the timing of a failure in a critical power line can mean the difference between a manageable outage and a total collapse—an insight that could help operators at companies like PSE&G and Atlantic City Electric prioritize protections for our most vulnerable infrastructure.

Another model, REDUCER, helps grid managers plan energy supply more effectively in the 24 hours before a major storm hits.

When tested against the data from Hurricane Fiona, their strategy reduced operational costs by 20% and lessened the need for expensive, last-minute emergency power, a benefit that would directly impact New Jersey ratepayers during a crisis.

“This means a more reliable power supply for residents when they need it most, and ultimately, a lower cost for electricity when the grid is under extreme stress,” said co-author H. Vincent Poor, a Princeton professor of electrical engineering.

“Climate change is happening everywhere, not just Puerto Rico,” said Lin. She pointed to a 2024 perspective in Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering highlighting that from 2011 to 2021, the United States alone saw a 78% increase in weather-related power outages compared to the preceding decade. “We hope that our work can help energy systems everywhere to adapt to the risks posed by climate extremes, whether they be hurricanes or other hazards.”

The research is particularly relevant for New Jersey’s clean energy future, which includes a massive push for solar power, including rooftop panels.

The models reveal that without proper large-scale energy storage to back up these renewables, the risk of widespread blackouts during severe weather actually increases.

For a state bookended by a coastline and with a energy future hitched to the sun and wind, the message is clear: the path to a resilient, clean-energy future requires smart planning.

The work being done at Princeton provides the tools to ensure that when the next storm comes, the lights along the Jersey Shore—and from Bergen to Cape May—have a better chance of staying on.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Princeton University Metropolis Project, and the Andlinger Center’s Fund for Energy Research with Corporate Partners.