Electricity Delivery and Security (eBook)

The federal government first supported a program for energy storage and electric power system technology during the 1970s, before the establishment of the Department of Energy (DOE). In the early days, the program was focused mainly on energy storage-especially to even out the variable power production from wind and solar technologies-but also to support large coal and nuclear power plants. The development of computer capacity and miniaturization has expanded the ability of grid operators to monitor and control electric power flows. The subsequent increase in networking of computerized devices for grid data collection and control advanced the ability of operators to anticipate, avoid, and otherwise mitigate potential power crises, such as blackouts. However, in more recent years, the computerization and networking have become vulnerable to unwanted computer-driven intrusions and disruptions, revealing a new cybersecurity challenge for electric power system technology. The nation's energy infrastructure is diverse and complex. It includes distributed networks, varied system structures (electricity, oil, and natural gas), an array of operating models (public and private), and different systems in both the physical space and cyberspace. The energy sector consists of thousands of electricity, oil, and natural gas assets1 that are geographically dispersed and provide for all nationally important systems and networks. Thus, interdependency within the sector and across the nation's critical infrastructure sectors is significant. Coordinating the security and resilience of energy assets is complicated by the borderless nature of energy and reliance on predominantly privately owned infrastructure. This book examines the federal oversight of electricity delivery and security. It also discusses activities and funding of electricity delivery and security.