Smart Grid Technology for Climate Resilience

"One of the key ways to make energy systems more reliable is by maximizing flexibility — improving how well the system can adapt in real time to changes in supply and demand. The more flexible the system, the better it can handle sudden demand spikes in the event of extreme weather, such as cold snaps or heat waves, or respond to supply disruptions such as plant outages. Improving flexibility includes upgrading aging infrastructure. Much of the U.S. grid was built decades ago under different demand patterns. Modernizing the grid — by updating substations and transmission equipment, deploying advanced sensors and incorporating advanced transmission technologies (ATTs), for example — can reduce failure rates during extreme heat and cold. These technologies help operators detect problems quicker, reroute power if equipment is damaged and restore service fast. Modernization not only improves reliability but also reduces expensive emergency interventions and lowers long-term maintenance costs. Increasing grid capacity, both through deployment of ATTs and building regional and interregional transmission lines, can reduce the risk of a local weather event turning into a widespread outage. Creating a more interconnected grid allows regions to share power during shortages. Having this greater transmission capacity also help keep prices down by allowing lower-cost electricity to reach areas facing higher demand. Demand-side management options can help ease pressure on the system during extreme weather events. These include encouraging customers and large users to reduce or shift electricity use during peak periods in exchange for lower bills or leveraging distributed energy resources to help prevent shortages. Systems that rely too much on a single fuel are more vulnerable to disruption. Diversification across energy sources and technologies helps reduce the risk of issues related to fuel shortages, infrastructure failures and localized weather impacts. Finally, policy is also critical. It’s vital that incentives are properly aligned with modern needs for flexibility and preparedness. This can help utilities make system investments that really work in extreme weather and minimize costs to consumers in both the short and the long run." Kelly Lefler World Resources Institute https://lnkd.in/e5syqXQp

How can IoT help us use energy smarter? Imagine checking your energy use from your phone, hour by hour, and knowing exactly when your electricity use spikes. For many of us, it might seem like something out of the future—but it’s very much the present thanks to smart meters and IoT integration in energy grids. Smart grids are changing the way we balance energy supply and demand. They’re not just a tech upgrade; they’re a practical response to the need for a cleaner and more efficient energy system. By integrating IoT, utilities are now able to gather real-time data that helps them predict demand, prevent shortages, and ultimately reduce the environmental impact of energy production. For instance, consider solar power. One of the challenges with solar is that it’s intermittent—it depends on the weather and time of day. Smart grids, combined with IoT-enabled meters, allow utilities to manage this by collecting consumption data and forecasting energy needs. This way, they can respond instantly when demand surges, helping reduce the need for power plants to stay on standby, burning fuel unnecessarily. According to a study by the Department of Energy, this kind of smart tech could cut energy waste by up to 20%. And it’s not just a benefit for the grid. Smart meters provide valuable insights into everyday energy use for consumers, showing how much power is being consumed in real time. It’s as simple as seeing which appliances or times of day are responsible for higher bills—and then making small changes that add up. The EPA reports that households with smart meters save an average of 10–15% on their annual energy bills by adjusting usage habits. From a human perspective, this technology isn’t just about data; it’s about giving people the control to make better decisions for their wallets and the environment. Smart grids and IoT are bridging that gap, making energy management a reality for both utilities and everyday users.

Backup ≠ Resilience: Why Generators and Spare Parts Won’t Save Your Grid “We have N-1 redundancy built in.” “All critical sites have backup generators.” “We've duplicated every failure point.” These statements sound strong. But they expose a fundamental misunderstanding: Redundancy ≠ Resilience. ● So what happens when the backup fails? ● When the ‘unlikely’ becomes routine? ● When the system you thought was ‘covered’ still collapses, and takes everything with it? Redundancy = Duplication Redundancy is about copying the same components: Here’s what that looks like in practice: A) Backup systems that wait quietly for failure B) Extra capacity that sits idle unless needed C) Predefined failover routes for predictable faults It’s like insurance: passive, static, and built for yesterday’s threats. Necessary? Often, yes. But not enough. Resilience is about adaptive capacity, what happens when your system sees disruption and responds. 🔹 Dynamic sensing and real-time response 🔹 Maintaining core functions by shifting loads or reconfiguring 🔹 Functioning in degraded-but-operational modes Resilience isn’t something you install. It’s something your system does when it’s breaking. Why This Distinction Matters Now: Systems that perform flawlessly under normal conditions can still collapse instantly under stress. We’ve seen it: Because perfect reliability can hide deep fragilities. Your grid can appear stable until a single contingency creates a cascading failure. 🔻 Heathrow (2025): A substation fire disrupted critical operations despite backup. 🔻 Chile (2025): A 500kV double-circuit line failed, triggering a nationwide blackout. Each one showed this truth: Redundant doesn’t mean ready. Four Shifts to Build True Grid Resilience: 1) Diversity > Duplication Mix energy types, technologies, and topologies to reduce common-mode failure. Don’t just double up, de-risk by design. 2) Intelligence > Automation Scripted failover won’t cut it. Use systems that learn, predict, and adapt to emerging patterns. 3) Flexibility > Spare Capacity Instead of just overbuilding, plan for graceful degradation: load shedding, islanding, reprioritisation. 4) Recovery by Design Plan for failure and recovery, not just prevention. The real question isn’t: “Do we have backup?” It’s: “Can we adapt when design limits are breached?” In an age of increasing uncertainty, climate extremes, cyber threats, DER volatility, and rigid systems break. Adaptive ones survive. What I’ve Seen Too many infrastructure strategies still treat “redundancy” as a silver bullet. But I’ve worked on systems that passed every reliability audit, until reality showed up. Let’s stop chasing perfect reliability. Let’s start designing for real-world resilience. What’s your experience? Are you seeing this mindset shift where you work, or is redundancy still the default plan? #PowerSystems #GridResilience #EnergyInfrastructure #EnergySecurity #EnergyPolicy #NetZero #SmartGrids #Digitalisation

𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻’𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁. 𝗜𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. On April 28, Spain and Portugal witnessed a widespread grid failure—millions were affected, not by a natural disaster, but by a breakdown in the grid’s ability to manage real-time fluctuations. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱? A high share of renewables, reduced system inertia, limited fast-frequency response, and inadequate storage led to cascading instability. It was a textbook case of RoCoF-induced failure in a low-inertia grid. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮? As we accelerate towards 500 GW of non-fossil capacity— we need to look for many of the structural vulnerabilities that triggered the Spanish blackout. Here are some questions: ❗️Do we have enough inertia support in RE-dominant corridors? ❗️Are our solar and wind assets equipped with synthetic inertia or fast frequency response capabilities? ❗️Is our protection system RoCoF-tolerant? ❗️Are our reserves, BESS deployments, and grid codes ready for a high-IBR future? 𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣’𝙨 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙙. As India races ahead in renewables, resilience must be designed into the capacity buildout. Storage. Inertia. Protection. Ancillary services. These are not optional—they are core infrastructure in tomorrow’s grid. 𝗜𝗻 𝗮 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲—𝗶𝘁’𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. #EnergyTransition #GridResilience #SpainBlackout #PowerSystems #InverterBasedResources #RoCoF #IndiaEnergy #SmartGrid #Storage #IEGC

I’m writing three chapters for the upcoming book The Electric Grid of the Future, edited by Professor Paulo F. Ribeiro and Dr. Rafael S. Salles. Each chapter addresses a critical layer of how we modernize and protect energy systems — architecture, resilience, and strategic leadership. 1. The Cyber-Multi-Physical Grid of the Future: This chapter defines the new grid architecture. It covers how physical systems, cyberinfrastructure, and human decision-making now operate as one system. I’m writing about real-time control, edge intelligence, digital twins, and the convergence of IT, OT, and power engineering — moving from reactive operations to predictive, adaptive coordination. 2. Resilience: This chapter addresses how the grid can take a hit and keep operating. It’s not about robustness alone — it’s about recovery, adaptation, and learning. I lay out frameworks for measuring and improving resilience under cyber threats, physical failures, and climate extremes. The focus is on layered defenses, system restoration, and long-term viability. 3. Innovation, Policy, and Strategic Leadership: This is the forward-looking chapter — how to lead transformation at scale. It includes scenario planning, institutional redesign, and how to govern complex systems under pressure. I draw from work advising national labs, the private sector, and federal agencies. The goal is to provide tools for leaders building future-ready energy systems under real-world constraints. Each chapter is grounded in experience — no theory without application. Feedback is most welcome, especially from those working in grid modernization, AI, infrastructure, and systems strategy. Related post: https://lnkd.in/g6s3-KF5 #smartgrid #resilience #strategicleadership #systemsengineering #infrastructure #gridmodernization #futureofenergy

⚡ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 — 𝗶𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱. As renewables surge and distribution networks grow more dynamic, utilities are realizing that traditional smart meters are no longer enough. The next frontier lies in 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 — sensors that measure voltage and current with time-synchronized precision, capturing the grid’s heartbeat in real time. This innovation is quietly transforming grid operations — from reactive control to predictive orchestration. In my latest Digital Grid feature, I explore: 🔹 How synchrophasors provide millisecond-level visibility across millions of endpoints 🔹 Why utilities and OEMs are poised to lead this evolution 🔹 How this technology enables resilience, cybersecurity, and deeper DER integration Every meter becomes a sensor. Every endpoint becomes intelligent. And the grid begins to see itself — in real time. 📖 Read the full article below. 🔖 #DigitalGrid #Synchrophasors #SmartMeters #AMI2_0 #GridIntelligence #EDMI #GridResilience #DERIntegration #PowerQuality #UtilityInnovation #EnergyTransition #SmartGrid #FutureOfEnergy

🔌 Building Power Grids That Bounce Back: Why Distribution Resiliency Matters More Than Ever Extreme weather is no longer rare: it’s becoming the new normal. From hurricanes and wildfires to ice storms and heat waves, these events are responsible for the vast majority of large-scale power outages in the U.S. In fact, up to 90% of weather-related outages originate in distribution networks, the “last mile” of our electric grid where poles, wires, and transformers directly serve communities. A recent study published in the Journal of Infrastructure Preservation & Resilience by Prof. Caisheng Wang et al. highlights a crucial takeaway: 👉 Reliability is not the same as resiliency. Reliability keeps the lights on during everyday conditions. Resiliency keeps the lights on—or gets them back on quickly—when disasters strike. 🧩 What makes a distribution grid resilient? Grid hardening: reinforcing poles, undergrounding lines, vegetation management, elevating substations. Smarter network design: reconfigurable feeders, sectionalizing switches, and microgrids that can “island” during major events. Distributed Energy Resources (DERs): solar, storage, and even EVs that can support critical loads post-disaster. AI & ML tools: from outage prediction models to reinforcement-learning-based restoration planning. 💡 Why does this matter? Civil and electrical engineers will increasingly work together on climate-resilient infrastructure. Whether you’re designing coastal foundations, planning hardened utility corridors, or integrating microgrids into communities, understanding power distribution resiliency is becoming essential. This publication is a call to action: we need grids that are not just reliable, but resilient—capable of withstanding and recovering from the extreme events that are becoming routine. This is a space full of innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real opportunity to make a societal impact. Free full-text: https://lnkd.in/d4yV-rgm #DERs #DistributionNetworks #ExtremeHazards #HILPevents #Microgrid #Resiliency #review #JIPR #newPub

The energy grid is under immense strain from extreme weather, wildfires, and rising electricity demand. As these pressures increase, so does the need for smarter, more resilient and reliable energy grids.   Utilidata, a company that is part of Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund portfolio, is redefining energy delivery through its AI platform, Karman. This technology empowers utilities to optimize energy delivery and make better decisions about how to manage the grid by, for example, storing electricity in batteries during off-peak hours and distributing it when it's needed. As a result, electric vehicles and solar panels become flexible, valuable assets that help meet grid demand.   Embedding AI directly into the grid infrastructure helps utility decision-makers make more informed decisions and better serve customers. This innovation highlights the power of AI to modernize critical infrastructure and transform the energy sector.

⚡ Power Up for the Future: How Smart Grids & Wireless Transmission Can Save Australia (and the World) ⚡ The article highlights the need for a future-proofed power grid and the potential of wireless technology. The issue it raises - price instability due to intermittent renewables - is a key argument for smart grids and how wireless energy transmission can be the next miracle to accelerate our electrification drive and our net zero ambitions. Smart Grids: The Answer to Price Swings and More A smart grid is an intelligent electricity network that can: ✅ Balance Supply & Demand: Smart grids can integrate and manage various sources, including renewables. This reduces reliance on single sources and smooths out price spikes.  ✅ Empower Consumers: You can track your energy use and adjust consumption during peak periods for lower costs.  ✅ Reduce Outages: Smart grids can identify and isolate problems faster, minimizing outages and lost revenue.  ✅ Self-Healing Networks: They can automatically reroute power during outages, increasing grid resilience. Wireless Power: The Next Frontier? While not yet mainstream but a proven technology, wireless energy transmission offers exciting possibilities and much needed acceleration in expanding energy grids/electrification in our sustainability pivot: ✅ Instant Smart Grid Capabilities: Wirelessly connected devices create a smart grid instantly, without expensive infrastructure upgrades. ✅ Lower Costs: No need for traditional power lines, reducing construction and maintenance costs.  ✅ Unprecedented Flexibility: Power can be directed to where it's needed most, improving grid efficiency. ✅ Enhanced Reliability: Fewer physical connections mean fewer potential points of failure. The Road to a Reliable, Sustainable Future Smart grids and wireless transmission are game changers for a cleaner, more resilient power grid. While challenges remain, these technologies can: ✅ Reduce Price Volatility: Consumers benefit from more stable energy costs. ✅ Facilitate Renewables Integration: A smarter grid enables a higher percentage of clean energy sources.  ✅ Build a More Robust Power System: Outages become less frequent and less disruptive. #SmartGrid #WirelessPower #RenewableEnergy #EnergyIndependence #FutureofPower

I was honored to join Axios energy reporter Ben Geman at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, for a fireside chat to discuss what it will take to power an economy that’s more electrified, resilient and competitive. The reality is stark: demand for electricity is projected to grow far faster than overall energy use. This is no threat to prosperity; it’s an opportunity - if we act with realism and speed. I have three takeaways from our discussion, and they are based on one simple insight: a successful energy transition needs energy security. We need to put the technologies and infrastructure in place to ensure we have the right energy, at the right time, at the right price. We can achieve this if we: 1. Squeeze more from every kilowatt: Energy efficiency and grid modernization are just as important as energy supply. We can quickly improve energy efficiency in industries and buildings by using high-efficiency motors with variable-speed drives. If widely adopted, this could reduce electricity demand by about 10% - the same as the output from around 100 coal plants or 35 nuclear plants. These savings could meet the growing energy needs of data centers for several years. 2. Modernize and digitalize the grid: We are still trying to run a 21st century economy on 20th century infrastructure. By 2040, the world needs 80 million kilometers (almost 50 million miles) of grid upgrades, plus storage and digital control, to integrate variable renewables, balance peaks, and improve resilience. Permitting is now a critical bottleneck. This is where targeted policy – with smarter approvals, clear standards, and investment in distribution networks – can unlock real capacity quickly. 3. Make AI part of the solution: There are a lot of headlines that Artificial Intelligence is driving up demand for energy. However, AI-enabled energy management – with digital substations and edge control – can also optimize usage, reduce losses and prevent outages. We have to see AI as a crucial tool to manage grids, to forecast, shift and reduce demand. AI can help us align demand growth with grid reliability. None of this scales without people. Resilient energy systems need a skilled workforce, from electricians to data scientists. Upskilling, retraining, and apprenticeships have to be made a priority by both the public and the private sector. The path forward is clear: electrify everything you can; deploy efficiency first; digitalize the grid; and use AI to manage what we add (and have). For regions and countries that do this, energy security will be a competitive advantage creating the foundations for sustainable growth. Listen to the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/emMu-4zr