EPRI launches project to help industry adapt to extreme weather events, other hazards

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) launched an initiative that seeks to help industry stakeholders better meet electricity demand during extreme weather and other hazards.

Specifically, it brings together grid operators, utilities, researchers, and other key stakeholders from across the industry to accelerate the evolution of resource adequacy (RA) processes and tools for a decarbonized energy system.

The electric sector is critical to decarbonizing the full U.S. economy with more of society depending on electricity in the future for vital services, EPRI officials said. The expanding presence of solar, wind, and other low-carbon resources and technologies requires the existing power infrastructure to adapt and support new dynamics of energy generation and consumption. Further, this new dynamic must be managed in the context of more frequent and severe storms and other weather impacts.

“Utilities are transforming with their foot on the accelerator,” EPRI President and CEO Arshad Mansoor said. “In markets around the world, the power sector is reshaping energy systems while responding to emerging challenges. Serving tomorrow’s energy customer means anticipating and preparing for high-impact events when, where, and how they may occur. Through this initiative, EPRI is leading industry-level collaboration to understand and overcome power supply challenges before they happen.”

The new RA initiative is focused on four key areas: developing metrics, criteria, and scenarios to assess risk and guide investment decisions; creating models and data to characterize how system resources perform under all operating conditions; accelerating the development of resource adequacy assessment tools to advance new solutions benefiting society; and demonstrating the value of new approaches through “real world” applications across diverse regions to guide the employment of new processes.

“Reliably meeting electricity needs 24/7 is increasingly important as electrification expands, becoming even more vital to the nearly 400 million people we serve in North America,” Mark Lauby, senior vice president and chief engineer at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, said. “Through our collaboration with EPRI and other industry leaders, we are preparing for the transformation of the grid to ensure that resilience is sustained and improved, as the grid becomes more decarbonized, decentralized, and digitized.”

The project is expected to continue through the first quarter of 2023 and will add to its coalition as it goes along. EPRI will share findings and recommendations with key stakeholders, including regulators and public utility commissions, as they emerge. It will also produce a final public report at the conclusion of the project.