Research

Webinar: 'Who Decides on Resilience for Energy Systems?'

Map of United States electric grid managed by regional interconnections. Credit: Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — February’s energy supply interruptions in Texas and other parts of the southeastern U.S. have raised a number of questions about how resilient our energy systems are in that part of the country and others. Are energy systems designed to withstand the kind of extreme weather conditions that plagued Texas, or other kinds of natural disasters? Who makes decisions about how resilient our energy systems should be? Do our regulatory systems need to include requirements for energy resilience the same way they include requirements for reliability and affordable costs?

A panel of energy experts from Penn State and industry will discuss the meaning of energy resilience and how decisions on how resilient our energy networks should be are made. The panel discussion, which is free and open to the public, will be broadcast at 4 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 25, via Zoom. Registration for Zoom webinar.

The event will be moderated by Seth Blumsack, professor of energy policy and economics in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME). He also is a professor of international affairs in Penn State’s School of International Affairs and is the director of the Center for Energy Law and Policy.

Panelists include:

  • Anthony Giacomoni, senior market strategist, PJM Interconnection
  • Eric Matheson, independent consultant and former energy adviser to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
  • Mort Webster, professor of energy engineering, EME
  • Hannah Wiseman, professor of law, Penn State Law and EME

This panel discussion is part of the series “Energy Resilience in a Time of Change — Lessons from the Texas Energy Crisis.” The series features experts from Penn State and industry practitioners in discussions focused on the factors contributing to energy interruptions in Texas and how this event changes our thinking about planning for extreme weather, especially as the United States goes through a major energy transition. 

Last Updated March 19, 2021

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