As storms knock down high voltage lines this year, power companies are replacing them with stronger stuff. Ryan Mulvany, vice president of distribution at Evergy, says that new power poles, for instance, are typically 20-to-25 percent bigger than old ones.
"The things that we are replacing, our assets that are down and typically aged, are beefier, are stronger, because we know things are getting more severe over time."
It’s not just thunderstorms and tornadoes. Derecho wind storms are growing more common. Temperatures swinging between record cold days in winter and record hot ones in summer also stress the grid.
