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June 18, 2014
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), in partnership with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), held a briefing on innovation in electric grid technologies and the opportunity being provided by the Department of Energy’s Quadrennial Energy Review (QER). The QER was launched this January to advance a 21st century energy policy that, among other things, may promote electric grid resilience. The electric grid faces unprecedented threats in the United States, including extreme weather, cyberattack, and physical vulnerabilities which urgently need to be addressed.
Speakers from the Department of Energy (DOE), G&W Electric, Siemens, and Commonwealth Edison discussed the concept and purpose of the QER and the need to reform our energy policy to strengthen the nation’s electric transmission and distribution grid, as well as the technologies available today that are making it happen.
Extreme weather events are the number one cause of power outages. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding can be particularly disruptive to above-ground transmission networks, and such events are occurring more frequently. The number of federal disaster declarations hit 99 in 2011, shattering the 2010 figure of 81, which itself was substantially above the yearly average of 35 since 1953. And nature isn’t the only threat. According to a 2013 study by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, attacking just nine of the country's 55,000 substations could be enough to cause a coast-to-coast blackout on a hot summer day. Coordinated, precisely targeted attacks could cause the entire grid to collapse, taking months to restore.
The good news is technologies available today can mitigate such threats and help utilities, grid operators, and electricity customers respond when disaster strikes. The challenge is deploying these new technologies given the complex regulatory structure and financial incentives governing electric infrastructure investment.
See also E&E's article about the briefing, "Smart grid is expensive but necessary to integrate renewables and adapt to climate change."
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