Metrics & Trends

Reliability & Resilience

Strengthening the reliability and resilience of the power system

Metrics & Trends

We assess and track reliability and resilience performance metrics, and disseminate analysis via policy-relevant publications and presentations to key stakeholders.

Electricity reliability and resilience metrics, and assessments of those metrics, are essential for evaluating efforts to improve the performance of the power system. EMP’s work enhances the quality, accessibility, and usefulness of performance data and metrics to strengthen the reliability and resilience of the U.S. power system. In collaboration with leading industry organizations – including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Distribution Reliability Working Group and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Performance Analysis Subcommittee – EMP works to promote best practices in the definition and use of reliability performance metrics. We also support the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in disseminating consistent reliability performance information, and collaborate with Congress and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on developing and implementing new reliability and resilience metrics. We have leveraged our experience to develop the Power Reliability Event Simulation Tool (PRESTO), which produces a realistic picture of customer-level interruptions to assess the impact of mitigation strategies and technologies. 

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Kristina S LaCommare
Sunhee Baik

Recent Publications

Frick, Natalie Mims, Juan Pablo Carvallo, and Lisa C Schwartz."Quantifying grid reliability and resilience impacts of energy efficiency: Examples and opportunities." (2021).
Larsen, Peter H, Megan Lawson, Kristina Hamachi LaCommare, and Joseph H Eto."Severe weather, utility spending, and the long-term reliability of the U.S. power system."Energy 198 (2020). DOI
Eto, Joseph H, Kristina Hamachi LaCommare, Heidemarie C Caswell, and David Till."Distribution system versus bulk power system: identifying the source of electric service interruptions in the US."IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution 13.5 (2019) 717-723. DOI
Dunn, Laurel N, Michael D Sohn, Kristina Hamachi LaCommare, and Joseph H Eto."Exploratory analysis of high-resolution power interruption data reveals spatial and temporal heterogeneity in electric grid reliability."Energy Policy 129 (2019) 206 - 214. DOI
LaCommare, Kristina Hamachi, Joseph H Eto, and Heidemarie C Caswell."Distinguishing Among the Sources of Electric Service Interruptions."2018 IEEE International Conference on Probabilistic Methods Applied to Power Systems (PMAPS) (2018). DOI
Larsen, Peter H, Brent Boehlert, Joseph H Eto, Kristina Hamachi LaCommare, Jeremy Martinich, and Lisa Rennels."Projecting Future Costs to U.S. Electric Utility Customers from Power Interruptions." (2017).
Larsen, Peter H, Kristina Hamachi LaCommare, Joseph H Eto, and James L Sweeney."Recent trends in power system reliability and implications for evaluating future investments in resiliency."Energy 117 (2016) 29 - 46. DOI
Eto, Joseph H, Kristina Hamachi LaCommare, Michael D Sohn, and Heidemarie C Caswell."Evaluating the Performance of the IEEE Standard 1366 Method for Identifying Major Event Days View Document."IEEE Transactions on Power Systems 32.2 (2016). DOI
Larsen, Peter H, Kristina Hamachi LaCommare, Joseph H Eto, and James L Sweeney."Assessing Changes in the Reliability of the U.S. Electric Power System." (2015).
Larsen, Peter H, James L Sweeney, Joseph H Eto, and Kristina Hamachi LaCommare."Exploring the Reliability of U.S. Electric Utilities."37th IAEE International Conference (2014).
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