Dr. Shanru Tian
University of Texas at Arlington
Shanru Tian: Weather, Energy Safety, and Grid Resilience–Harnessing Nature’s Power in the United States
Climate and Energy
This talk explores how we can harness nature’s power to build a more resilient energy future.
Title
Shanru Tian: Weather, Energy Safety, and Grid Resilience–Harnessing Nature’s Power in the United States
Time
September 29, 2025
6:00PM - 7:00PM ET
Venue
Online via Zoom. Please register to participate.
About
The U.S. energy mix—including natural gas, wind, solar, nuclear, and coal—plays a critical role in powering the economy. However, the resilience of these infrastructures is increasingly challenged by extreme weather events. Winter Storm Uri (2021), for example, exposed significant vulnerabilities in grid management and energy supply chains. As the nation moves toward decarbonization, ensuring grid resilience becomes not just a technical necessity but a public safety imperative. This talk explores how we can harness nature’s power to build a more resilient energy future. By leveraging subseasonal to seasonal (S2S) weather forecasts—particularly in the 2–5 week range—we can better anticipate and prepare for disruptive events. Integrating atmospheric dynamics into energy operations and planning offers a pathway to enhance safety, reliability, and sustainability. We will discuss strategies for embedding meteorological insights into industry routines, enabling proactive risk management and smarter grid adaptation.
Speaker
Bio
Shanru Tian is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas at Arlington. His research primarily focuses on advancing the understanding and prediction of extreme weather and climate, carbon cycle processes, and exploring geo-engineering solutions to enhance the resilience of civil engineering infrastructure.