About
Rhizome is an enterprise-grade grid planning platform built specifically for electric utilities operating in an era of escalating climate risk. Traditional grid planning relies on historical weather data, but Rhizome changes the paradigm by applying forward-looking climate models that project threats across decades. This enables utilities to make smarter, more defensible long-term capital investment decisions rooted in where climate risk is headed—not where it has been. The platform delivers asset-level vulnerability assessments, pinpointing exactly which infrastructure components are most exposed to climate threats such as wildfires and extreme weather events. Its integrated cost-benefit analysis engine produces bulletproof investment cases that satisfy regulatory scrutiny, helping utilities earn approval for critical grid hardening programs. Rhizome addresses a documented and growing crisis: weather-related outage minutes have tripled over the past decade, an estimated $500 billion investment gap exists in utility climate-risk preparedness, and annual outage costs are projected to reach $1 trillion by 2040 without decisive action. By translating climate uncertainty into clear, prioritized investment decisions, Rhizome helps utilities protect the communities that depend on reliable power. The platform is designed for utility planning teams, regulatory affairs teams, and executive leadership who need to align across functions on what to fund, when, and why.
Key Features
- Forward-Looking Climate Modeling: Projects climate threats across decades using predictive models rather than historical data, enabling more accurate long-term grid planning.
- Asset-Level Vulnerability Assessment: Identifies and ranks individual infrastructure assets by climate exposure, helping utilities focus resources where risk is highest.
- Investment Prioritization & Cost-Benefit Analysis: Delivers comprehensive, defensible cost-benefit analysis so teams can align on what to fund, when, and why—with the data to back it up.
- Wildfire Risk Mitigation: Specialized modeling for wildfire threats to grid infrastructure, supporting targeted mitigation investments in high-risk corridors.
- Regulatory-Ready Investment Cases: Produces structured, evidence-based investment cases designed to withstand regulatory scrutiny and secure approval for grid hardening programs.
Use Cases
- Modeling long-term climate threats to guide fifty-year capital investment planning for grid infrastructure
- Prioritizing wildfire risk mitigation investments across geographically distributed utility assets
- Building regulator-ready investment cases for grid hardening and resilience improvement programs
- Conducting climate vulnerability assessments to identify the most at-risk transmission and distribution assets
- Aligning internal stakeholders—planners, finance, and executives—on investment priorities using shared, data-driven cost-benefit analysis
Pros
- Predictive Rather Than Reactive: Uses forward-looking climate science instead of historical weather data, giving utilities a significant planning edge for multi-decade infrastructure decisions.
- Regulatory Alignment Built In: Investment cases are structured to satisfy regulators, reducing friction in approval processes and accelerating capital deployment.
- Trusted by Major Utilities: Proven with large-scale customers like National Grid and Seattle City Light, demonstrating reliability for high-stakes, large-budget planning environments.
Cons
- Highly Niche Focus: Designed exclusively for electric utilities, making it irrelevant for organizations outside the power and energy sector.
- Enterprise Pricing: As an enterprise platform serving large utilities, costs are likely significant and may be out of reach for smaller municipal or cooperative utilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rhizome designed for?
Rhizome is purpose-built for electric utilities—including large investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, and electric cooperatives—that need to plan grid investments in the context of escalating climate risk.
How does Rhizome differ from traditional grid planning tools?
Traditional tools rely on historical weather patterns to forecast risk. Rhizome uses forward-looking climate models that project threats across decades, enabling utilities to plan for conditions that haven't yet occurred but are increasingly likely.
What types of climate risks does the platform model?
Rhizome models a range of climate-driven threats including wildfire risk, extreme weather events, and other hazards that threaten grid infrastructure reliability and community safety.
Can Rhizome help utilities with regulatory filings?
Yes. The platform is specifically designed to produce defensible cost-benefit analyses and structured investment cases that can withstand regulatory scrutiny and support rate case or grid modernization filings.
Which utilities currently use Rhizome?
Rhizome is trusted by forward-thinking utilities including National Grid, Seattle City Light, and Vermont Electric Cooperative, among other industry partners.
