|
Since 1995, electrical grid power outages have steadily increased as R&D in new technologies steadily decreased. Dr. Massoud Amin Author’s Note: Recently, I wrote an article for the IEEE Spectrum on the U.S. Electrical Grid. The original post can be found in the IEEE Energy Policy Department. I also spoke on this subject to NPR [...] The North American electric power infrastructure is a highly complex dynamical system. The reliable operation of the power generation and delivery system requires the multi-level interactions and integration of numerous specialized component technologies and systems. While advancing the capabilities and performance of individual system components is important to enable progress, it is essential to remain focused on solving larger systemic challenges in order to successfully achieve a fully operable Smart Grid. [...] As a national Smart Grid is constructed, it is important that developers include renewable energy and localization considerations to ensure that the Smart Grid operates as close to 100% efficiency as possible. [...] There was also a 60 Minutes piece on cyber attacks that showed publicly, among other things, that long-rumored cyber attacks on power grid had occurred in 2005 and 2007. This piece clearly identified that the power grid is still very vulnerable to cyber attacks. [...] We must modernize the electric power infrastructure, and evolve it into a smarter, stronger, more secure and more resilient system. Electricity is the lynchpin and enabling infrastructure for all knowledge- and innovation-based economies. [...] Editor’s Note: This post is Part 2 of a two-part transcript from an Access Minnesota interview with Dr. Massoud Amin. Access Minnesota is a weekly public affairs radio and television show featuring noted academics, authors, politicians and business leaders engaging in common sense conversations about compelling and relevant issues in the state of Minnesota, across the nation, and around the globe. [...] Editor’s Note: This post is Part 1 of a two-part transcript from an Access Minnesota interview with Dr. Massoud Amin. Access Minnesota is a weekly public affairs radio and television show featuring noted academics, authors, politicians and business leaders engaging in common sense conversations about compelling and relevant issues in the state of Minnesota, across the nation, and around the globe. [...] Much discussion has been given in recent years to cyber security of smart grids. The articles and media reports on the cyber vulnerabilities of our electric power grid bring back memories of the past: In the aftermath of the tragic events of 9/11, when I became responsible for security R&D at EPRI, I received seemingly contradictory piles of reports/files that either claimed that “we are bullet proof” or “the sky is falling.” [...] Increasing the security, robustness, and efficiency of the nation’s electrical infrastructure requires utilizing sensing, communications, and control technologies in order to continually assess and optimize system performance. In this post, a method for the dynamic optimization of power distribution systems with an intelligent distributed secure control architecture is presented. This work represents a first step toward developing an analytical and multi-domain approach to assess the effects of smart grid technologies on distribution systems. [...] Major outages over the last several years have highlighted the need to update the nation’s electric power grid to provide a secure and reliable source of electricity for the future. Much of the antiquated infrastructure will be replaced with digital systems providing the grid with the capability to reconfigure itself and prevent widespread outages. Upgrading the power grid, however, will present many new cyber security challenges that must be dealt with before extensive deployment can begin. [...] |
||
|
Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa |
||