When the Lights Go Out: Innovative Solutions for Thriving During Power Outages
Changes due to centralized production/distribution, lack of infrastructure funding, weather, and oversight have contributed to the rise in power outages and left the grid increasingly vulnerable. For example, it has been reported that there were 64% more US outages between 2011 and
2021 than the previous decade, with Michigan’s power grid reliability ranked near the bottom. Despite an average 99% reliability rate claimed by service provider DTE, this still means that its Michigan customers are left without power 3.65 days per year. Multi-day outages are common
and can be incredibly disruptive and even life-threatening. While long-term infrastructure remedies are debated, what are individuals to do in the near term when such a crucial utility is not available, and it’s unknown when the power might return?
The Challenge
As cross-disciplinary design and development teams, how might we help people deal with electrical power outages, to ensure that basic needs can be met, inconveniences of the disruption are reduced, and/or possible benefits of the situation are leveraged or embraced?
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