Join our next Community S&T Seminar Series presented by Jeff Dagle, PNNL Chief Electrical Engineer

The interconnected North American power system that underpins our modern society has been recognized as the top engineering achievement of the 20th century. Access to affordable and reliable electricity enables many of the things that we take for granted today, and has enabled unparalleled economic growth and significantly enhanced our quality of life. And while this vast power system remains affordable and reliable now and into the foreseeable future, there nevertheless remains potential hazards that threaten the resilience of this critical infrastructure. This presentation will introduce the engineering basics of the power grid, discuss prior blackouts and lessons learned gleaned by engineers, delve into resilience concepts, and summarize steps being undertaken to understand and enhance power system resilience in the future.

In 2017 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released the report “Enhancing the Resilience of the Nation’s Electricity System.” As a member of the study committee, Mr. Dagle will discuss the findings and recommendations from this report, focusing on the technology deployment opportunities associated with enhancing the resilience of the Nation’s power system. He will also discuss ongoing relevant research programs being conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.