Storm Surge and Blackouts in the South Carolina Lowcountry, and How Clean Energy Can Help

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that significant electricity infrastructure along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts is currently exposed to storm surge, a risk that will increase with sea level rise. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, 54 major substations and seven power plants are currently at risk. The report advocates for adaptation strategies—protection, accommodation, and retreat—and the deployment of decentralized clean energy technologies like microgrids and energy storage to ensure community resilience and reduce carbon emissions.

• A significant portion of electricity infrastructure serving over 70 million coastal residents on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts is already exposed to flooding from severe storms, with the share of exposed substations ranging from 16 percent in southeastern Florida to nearly 70 percent in the central Gulf Coast.
• In the South Carolina Lowcountry, 54 major substations (over 27 percent of the total) and seven power plants are currently exposed to flooding from a major storm, with nearly 90 percent (14 out of 16) of those in Charleston being at risk.
• Future sea level rise will increase the depth and extent of flooding in the South Carolina Lowcountry; by 2050, seven power plants totaling over 1,100 MW of capacity could be exposed, and by 2070, the number of exposed major substations is projected to reach 67.
• Current flood protection for electricity infrastructure often relies on static FEMA assessments and historical data, which the report argues greatly underestimate the risks posed by future sea level rise.
• The report identifies three primary adaptation strategies for electricity infrastructure: protection (building defenses like seawalls), accommodation (modifying equipment to operate in water, such as elevating substations), and retreat (relocating or retiring at-risk infrastructure).
• Decentralized clean energy solutions—specifically renewable energy with energy storage, combined heat and power (CHP) plants, and microgrids—can provide resilient power to critical facilities when the centralized grid fails.
• The cost of wind and solar power has dropped by 60 to 70 percent over the last five years, making resilient clean energy systems more cost-effective for communities and vulnerable populations.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2015). Storm Surge and Blackouts in the South Carolina Lowcountry, and How Clean Energy Can Help. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/lights-out-south-carolina-lowcountry.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Storm Surge and Blackouts in the South Carolina Lowcountry, and How Clean Energy Can Help. 2015. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/lights-out-south-carolina-lowcountry.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Storm Surge and Blackouts in the South Carolina Lowcountry, and How Clean Energy Can Help |date=October 2015 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/lights-out-south-carolina-lowcountry.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2015storm, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Storm Surge and Blackouts in the South Carolina Lowcountry, and How Clean Energy Can Help}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/10/lights-out-south-carolina-lowcountry.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }