The EARNEST Consortium, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is dedicated to identifying and advancing solutions for the future of the U.S. electricity system. As part of its public engagement efforts, EARNEST is hosting its first webinar series focused on “U.S. Grid Reliability and Resilience.” This seventh session will explore how we define and assess reliability and how those definitions are evolving.

As the electric grid faces an array of reliability challenges, how do we measure progress? How might metrics of reliability change in the future? And how might reliability goals and metrics evolve as societies focus not just on keeping the lights on, but also on broader concepts of resilience?

While past work has begun to address these questions, many uncertainties remain. These include implications for grid investment and operations, such as how to optimize transmission siting, reconductoring, the gas system and grid interface, resource flexibility, and demand flexibility. With the EARNEST Consortium working to expand knowledge about reliability and resilience, this session will reflect on lessons learned and examine where future work is headed.

David G. Victor from the University of California, San Diego, will present an overview of prior research, including the outcomes of two National Academy of Sciences consensus reports. Jeff Dagle, from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will offer initial comments and reflections.