The electric power grid and electronic communications are increasingly intertwined and interconnected as part of our complex 21st century United State infrastructure. But, when an extreme event like a large snowstorm or hurricane brings down part of the network, it’s pretty clear what can happen: chaos.
WSU researchers from disciplines as far-flung as sociology and electrical engineering aim to make the deeply connected systems more robust with a National Science Foundation grant to improve the electric power grid and its communications structure.
As part of the $1.2 million, 3-year grant, the researchers will be working to analyze and design more resilient power and communication networks.
Power and communication networks are two of the most critical infrastructures of the nation and they are highly interdependent, says Anjan Bose, Regents Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Communication networks transport data for the power system. But, at the same time, they require power to operate successfully. A power failure can cause failures in the communications networks, which then can contribute to a worsening power failure.
Ten to fifteen years ago, the data requirements of the power grid were simple and the communications system was an integral part of the grid.
“Now, the smart grid means that communications are ubiquitous — right up to the home meter and inside the home – and are complex systems on their own,’’ he says.
“We don’t usually think about these systems because they’re so woven into our lives that we take them for granted, but we couldn’t get through a day without noticing the lack of electricity or the internet,” said Christine Horne, professor in the WSU Department of Sociology and co-primary investigator on the grant. “Our goal is to increase resilience of the critical electricity and communication systems that society relies upon to function.’’
Researchers from computer science and WSU’s top-ranked power engineering program have been working together on better communication tools for the power grid for more than a decade partly because the two programs are uniquely co-located within the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
The communication improvements mean that grid operators can monitor and control electric distribution better than 10 years ago, but the systems remain complex and intertwined — from generation and transmission to electric power distribution.
“It is critical infrastructure,’’ says Bose. “We do worry — we can always think of scenarios that are worse than what the grid was designed for.’’
In the new grant, the researchers aim to develop a new paradigm for understanding the complex interdependence between communication and power networks to better predict what will happen in extreme events and to strengthen critical elements to prevent cascading failures.
The researchers will look at the power grid network at both small and large scales and will use detailed simulations to develop practical solutions, says Bose. At the large-scale, the researchers will analyze power and communications networks that span the entire country and mathematically model the relationships to improve decision-making around failures. At the micro-level, the researchers will examine individual entities within the power and communication systems, such as power generators, and analyze how they are affected by events across the network.
The project includes researchers from an unusually wide variety of disciplines as well as from partner institutions, including University of Buffalo, Arizona State University, and Texas A&M.
Economists will analyze the investments that might best ensure the power grid’s resilience and robustness, and sociologists will study group dynamics to identify social factors that can impair or improve the electric power and telecom systems. By analyzing government and organization documents and interviewing a broad range of electricity and telecom stakeholders, the WSU sociology researchers aim to determine processes or behavior that either increases or reduces power grid vulnerability, said Horne. In particular, Horne and her colleagues will assess how perceived risk is reflected in current operations, policies, and plans for the power grid’s future.
Contact:
Anjan Bose, Regents Professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 509-335-1147, bose@wsu.edu
Christine Horne, Professor, Department of Sociology, 509-335-3912, chorne@wsu.edu
Tina Hilding, communications coordinator, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, 509-335-5095, thilding@wsu.edu,