The University of Calgary and the University of Utah will establish and co-lead the U.S.-Canada Center on Climate-Resilient Western Interconnected Grid through $5M funding by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and $3.75M funding by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Commonly known as “the Western Interconnection,” it is one of two major interconnected power grids in North America, stretching from the northern edge of British Columbia to the border of Baja, Mexico, and from the California coast to the Rockies.
It serves roughly 80 million people over 1.8 million square miles. The Western Interconnection is the backbone of one of the largest regional economic engines in the world. The mission of the centre is to enhance the grid’s resilience to the rising frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme weather events, such as wildfires and heatwaves. Hamid Zareipour of the University of Calgary will co-lead the centre with Masood Parvania of the University of Utah.
Read more about the initiative on the University of Utah website.
