Everyone’s First Rodeo: Electric Utilities and COVID-19

I stay at work for you. You stay home for us.

The world owes the health care profession a (virtual) high-five. They are rushing into danger — and staying in — while the rest of us retreat to our sofas and televisions. As we should: stopping COVID-19 means holing-up in our homes and denying the virus a chance to spread. So crank up the coffeemaker, microwave some popcorn, and let’s see what’s on Netflix. Okay, I’m nourished, comfortable, and entertained. I can ride this out …

Plug it in, switch it on: social distancing is predicated on reliable electric service, from powering our televisions and internet to charging our devices to keeping our homes comfortable and well lit. Now imagine for a moment that the electricity wasn’t there: sitting in the dark, food going bad in the refrigerator, no heating or air-conditioning, phones dying, and a dark TV screen staring back at us. For weeks or months. I don’t even want to think about it …

COVID-19 is the first global pandemic of the Age of Electrification. If that doesn’t give you pause, it should. Remember when “charging” meant buying something with a credit card? That was then. Today’s economies and societies are intensely electrified and becoming more so every day. Whether its public safety or education or business or communication or shelter, electricity is indispensable. Even fossil-fueled transportation grinds to a halt without electricity to manufacture vehicles, pump gasoline, and operate traffic lights. In the Age…