Full Title: Reimagining Grid Resilience: A Framework For Addressing Catastrophic Threats to the US Electricity Grid in an Era of Transformational Change
Author(s): Mark Dyson and Becky Xilu Li
Publisher(s): Rocky Mountain Institute
Publication Date: October 14, 2020
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Since its origins at the beginning of the last century, the electricity system has been a critical driver of US economic growth. Reliable and resilient delivery of electricity to homes and businesses is a foundation of national prosperity, and grid outages have grave consequences.
The current grid is characterized by a one-way flow of services and value that convert primary energy to value-added services. This system, with its linear dependencies and easily disrupted individual components, is inherently fragile. Disruptions within any component of the grid can cause outages for customers.
This report describes the changing nature of resilience within the US grid and details specific recommendations to take advantage of current technological trends. This will help bring about investment in a grid that promotes resilience by design, economically and from the bottom up, and not as a cost-adding afterthought years later.