• RESILIENCEPower Boost: Resilient Systems to Energize the Future

    By Hollie Hohlfelder

    Life without electricity is not just cold, dark and quiet. Disruptions to the electric grid, whether from hurricanes, wildfires or cyberattacks, can threaten lives as well as comfort.

  • POWER GRIDNew AI Model Could Make Power Grids More Reliable Amid Rising Renewable Energy Use

    As renewable energy sources such as wind and solar become more widespread, managing the power grid has become increasingly complex. An AI model that can address the uncertainties of renewable energy generation and electric vehicle demand, making power grids more reliable and efficient.

  • DISASTERS & THE POWER GRIDHurricane Helene Brought Devastation — and an Opportunity — to Appalachia’s Power Grids

    By Gautama Mehta, Grist

    As recovery efforts continue, utilities in the region need to rethink their approach to electricity in the face of climate change.

  • ELECTRIC GRIDPlanning the Future of America’s Vast Electric Grid

    By Jared Sagoff

    America’s electric grid is one of the largest and most complicated pieces of infrastructure ever built. It is intended to deliver electricity nearly 100% of the time in any situation. And it will soon be called upon to accommodate renewables and more electric demand.

  • POWER GRIDAn Electric Grid that Thinks Ahead

    By Karyn Hede

    The reliability of the power rid depends on utility operators who have developed control systems and fail-safes to keep the power flowing. PNNL researchers point toward a smart grid that includes machine learning and artificial intelligence inputs, but with human expertise in the loop.

  • GRID RESILIENCETransformers: Cooler Side of the Grid

    Failures in transformers cause widespread disruptions across electrical networks, severely affecting grid stability. The financial impact of such failures often goes beyond just the cost of replacing the transformer. Simulations on NSF-funded Stampede2 provide models for a resilient and sustainable electric grid.

  • POWER-GRID RESILIENCEStartup Aims to Transform the Power Grid with Superconducting Transmission Lines

    By Zach Winn

    VEIR, founded by alumnus Tim Heidel, has developed technology that can move more power over long distances, with the same footprint as traditional lines.

  • GRID RESILIENCEBringing GPT to the Grid

    By Leah Burrows

    Much has been discussed about the promise and limitations of large-language models in industries such as education, healthcare and even manufacturing. But what about energy? Could large-language models (LLMs), like those that power ChatGPT, help run and maintain the energy grid?

  • POWER-GRID RESILIENCERevolutionizing Energy Grid Maintenance: How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming the Future

    By Liz Thompson

    Scientists are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to transform energy grid asset maintenance, helping U.S. power companies identify and address problems before they even occur, helping to ensure the security and reliability of America’s energy infrastructure.

  • POWER-GRID RESILIENCEAmerica’s Grid Isn’t Ready for a Renewable Future. A New Federal Rule Could Change That.

    By Syris Valentine

    America’s energy system has a problem: Solar and wind developers want to build renewable energy at a breakneck pace, but too often the power that these projects can produce has nowhere to go. That’s because the high-voltage lines that move energy across the country don’t have the capacity to handle what these panels and turbines generate. At the same time, electric vehicles, data centers, and new factories are pushing electricity demand well beyond what was expected just a few years ago.

  • GRID RESILIENCEResilient Power Systems in the Context of Climate Change

    As extreme weather events increase in frequency and society’s dependence on electricity grows, scientists are focusing on issues at the nexus of water and energy, recognizing that water and energy systems are strongly coupled and already stressed.

  • POWER GRIDIn the Central U.S., an Electric Grid Bottleneck Persists

    By Robert Zullo

    Forty-five million people live in the area managed by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the organization that runs a massive portion of the North American electric grid running from Manitoba, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico. Where the northern part of the system meets the southern end — a narrow corridor that traverses a corner of southeast Missouri and northeastern Arkansas — there’s a bottleneck that can hurt electric customers and create major inefficiencies on both sides of the divide.

  • POWER-GRID RESILIENCECould April’s Eclipse Impact the Power Grid? Energy Expert Says Not to Worry

    By Olga Rukovets

    On April 8, a total solar eclipse will be visible across parts of North America, following a narrow track from Mexico through the U.S. and all the way to Canada. There have also been concerns about how the eclipse might impact areas that rely on solar power along the way.

  • ENERGY SECURITYAllowing More Juice to Flow Through Power Lines Could Hasten Clean Energy Projects

    By Alex Brown

    If the thousands of proposed solar, wind and battery energy projects got built, they would more than double the amount of electricity that is currently produced nationwide and get the U.S. much closer to its clean energy targets. But there’s one big problem: America’s power lines can’t carry that much juice. Grid-enhancing technologies can help existing lines carry more electricity.

  • POWER-GRID SECURITYScientists Put Forth a Smarter Way to Protect a Smarter Grid

    By Tom Rickey

    Proliferation of programmable devices presents more gateways for cyberattack. That makes the electric grid, increasingly chock full of devices that interact with one another and make critical decisions, vulnerable to bad actors who might try to turn off the power, damage the system or worse.