Skip to main content

PNNL

  • About
  • News & Media
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Research
    • Scientific Discovery
      • Biology
        • Chemical Biology
        • Computational Biology
        • Ecosystem Science
        • Human Health
          • Cancer Biology
          • Exposure Science & Pathogen Biology
        • Integrative Omics
          • Advanced Metabolomics
          • Chemical Biology
          • Mass Spectrometry-Based Measurement Technologies
          • Spatial and Single-Cell Proteomics
          • Structural Biology
        • Microbiome Science
          • Biofuels & Bioproducts
          • Human Microbiome
          • Soil Microbiome
          • Synthetic Biology
        • Predictive Phenomics
      • Chemistry
        • Computational Chemistry
        • Chemical Separations
        • Chemical Physics
        • Catalysis
      • Earth & Coastal Sciences
        • Global Change
        • Atmospheric Science
          • Atmospheric Aerosols
          • Human-Earth System Interactions
          • Modeling Earth Systems
        • Coastal Science
        • Ecosystem Science
        • Subsurface Science
        • Terrestrial Aquatics
      • Materials Sciences
        • Materials in Extreme Environments
        • Precision Materials by Design
        • Science of Interfaces
        • Solid Phase Processing
          • Cold Spray
          • Friction Stir Welding & Processing
          • ShAPE
      • Nuclear & Particle Physics
        • Dark Matter
        • Flavor Physics
        • Fusion Energy Science
        • Neutrino Physics
      • Quantum Information Sciences
    • Energy Resiliency
      • Electric Grid Modernization
        • Emergency Response
        • Grid Analytics
          • AGM Program
          • Tools and Capabilities
        • Grid Architecture
        • Grid Cybersecurity
        • Grid Energy Storage
        • Grid Resilience and Decarbonization
          • Earth System Modeling
          • Energy System Modeling
        • Transmission
        • Distribution
      • Energy Efficiency
        • Appliance and Equipment Standards
        • Building Energy Codes
        • Building Technologies
          • Advanced Building Controls
          • Advanced Lighting
          • Building-Grid Integration
        • Building and Grid Modeling
        • Commercial Buildings
        • Federal Buildings
          • Federal Performance Optimization
          • Resilience and Security
        • Grid Resilience and Decarbonization
        • Residential Buildings
          • Building America Solution Center
          • Energy Efficient Technology Integration
          • Home Energy Score
        • Energy Efficient Technology Integration
      • Energy Storage
        • Electrochemical Energy Storage
        • Flexible Loads and Generation
        • Grid Integration, Controls, and Architecture
        • Regulation, Policy, and Valuation
        • Science Supporting Energy Storage
        • Chemical Energy Storage
      • Environmental Management
        • Waste Processing
        • Radiation Measurement
        • Environmental Remediation
      • Fossil Energy
        • Subsurface Energy Systems
        • Carbon Management
          • Carbon Capture
          • Carbon Storage
          • Carbon Utilization
        • Advanced Hydrocarbon Conversion
      • Nuclear Energy
        • Fuel Cycle Research
        • Advanced Reactors
        • Reactor Operations
        • Reactor Licensing
      • Renewable Energy
        • Solar Energy
        • Wind Energy
          • Wind Resource Characterization
          • Wildlife and Wind
          • Community Values and Ocean Co-Use
          • Wind Systems Integration
          • Wind Data Management
          • Distributed Wind
        • Marine Energy
          • Environmental Monitoring for Marine Energy
          • Marine Biofouling and Corrosion
          • Marine Energy Resource Characterization
          • Testing for Marine Energy
          • The Blue Economy
        • Hydropower
          • Environmental Performance of Hydropower
          • Hydropower Cybersecurity and Digitalization
          • Hydropower and the Electric Grid
          • Materials Science for Hydropower
          • Pumped Storage Hydropower
          • Water + Hydropower Planning
        • Grid Integration of Renewable Energy
        • Geothermal Energy
      • Transportation
        • Bioenergy Technologies
          • Algal Biofuels
          • Aviation Biofuels
          • Waste-to-Energy and Products
        • Hydrogen & Fuel Cells
        • Vehicle Technologies
          • Emission Control
          • Energy-Efficient Mobility Systems
          • Lightweight Materials
          • Vehicle Electrification
          • Vehicle Grid Integration
    • National Security
      • Chemical & Biothreat Signatures
        • Contraband Detection
        • Pathogen Science & Detection
        • Explosives Detection
        • Threat-Agnostic Biodefense
      • Cybersecurity
        • Discovery and Insight
        • Proactive Defense
        • Trusted Systems
      • Nuclear Material Science
      • Nuclear Nonproliferation
        • Radiological & Nuclear Detection
        • Nuclear Forensics
        • Ultra-Sensitive Nuclear Measurements
        • Nuclear Explosion Monitoring
        • Global Nuclear & Radiological Security
      • Stakeholder Engagement
        • Disaster Recovery
        • Global Collaborations
        • Legislative and Regulatory Analysis
        • Technical Training
      • Systems Integration & Deployment
        • Additive Manufacturing
        • Deployed Technologies
        • Rapid Prototyping
        • Systems Engineering
      • Threat Analysis
        • Advanced Wireless Security
          • 5G Security
          • RF Signal Detection & Exploitation
        • Grid Resilience and Decarbonization
        • Internet of Things
        • Maritime Security
        • Millimeter Wave
        • Mission Risk and Resilience
    • Data Science & Computing
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Graph and Data Analytics
      • Software Engineering
      • Computational Mathematics & Statistics
      • Future Computing Technologies
        • Adaptive Autonomous Systems
      • Visual Analytics
    • Publications & Reports
    • Featured Research
  • People
    • Inventors
    • Lab Leadership
    • Lab Fellows
    • Staff Accomplishments
  • Partner with PNNL
    • Education
      • Undergraduate Students
      • Graduate Students
      • Post-graduate Students
      • University Faculty
      • University Partnerships
      • K-12 Educators and Students
      • STEM Education
        • STEM Workforce Development
        • STEM Outreach
        • Meet the Team
      • Internships
    • Community
      • Regional Impact
      • Philanthropy
      • Volunteering
    • Industry
      • Available Technologies
      • Industry
      • Industry Partnerships
      • Licensing & Technology Transfer
      • Entrepreneurial Leave
      • Visual Intellectual Property Search (VIPS)
  • Facilities & Centers
    • All Facilities
      • Atmospheric Radiation Measurement User Facility
      • Electricity Infrastructure Operations Center
      • Energy Sciences Center
      • Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory
      • Grid Storage Launchpad
      • Institute for Integrated Catalysis
      • Interdiction Technology and Integration Laboratory
      • PNNL Portland Research Center
      • PNNL Seattle Research Center
      • PNNL-Sequim (Marine and Coastal Research)
      • Radiochemical Processing Laboratory
      • Shallow Underground Laboratory

Breadcrumb

  1. Research
  2. Energy Resiliency
  3. Electric Grid Modernization
  4. Emergency Response

Emergency
Response

Responding to grid-
related emergencies

  • Electric Grid Modernization
    • Emergency Response
    • Grid Analytics
    • Grid Architecture
    • Grid Cybersecurity
    • Grid Energy Storage
    • Grid Resilience and Decarbonization
    • Transmission
    • Distribution
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Energy Storage
  • Environmental Management
  • Fossil Energy
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Renewable Energy
  • Transportation
  • News & Updates
  • Attend an Emergency Response Event
  • Publications
  • Projects
  • Explainer Articles

Widespread power outages have shut down businesses, disrupted the lives of millions of people, cost the economy tens of billions of dollars, and threatened public safety. In a nationally declared emergency, such as a natural disaster or attack that disrupts electricity delivery, the Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for coordinating government and private sector response and recovery efforts. The DOE’s goals are to reduce the magnitude and duration of disruptive events, keep critical functions operating despite shocks, manage disruptions as they unfold, and get back to normal as quickly as possible.

As a national laboratory in service to the nation, PNNL's mission includes grid-related emergency response. PNNL develops resources and tools to help the energy sector better anticipate and protect against disruptions and to respond effectively to emergencies when they do happen.

When disaster strikes, and the power grid is disrupted, trained responders from PNNL travel to emergency sites to support recovery efforts. Where power is lost—such as with downed transmission lines—or generation goes offline, the goal is to restore electricity to critical operations as quickly and safely as possible. In such cases, PNNL experts join centralized emergency response centers, communicating with utility workers and other responders in the field to help expedite restoration of service and rebuild energy infrastructure.

For example, extreme weather is the top contributor to large-scale grid outages. During and after weather emergencies, PNNL’s Automated Damage Assessment Tool helps operators and crews understand quickly the extent of infrastructure damage so that repairs can be located and prioritized. The tool uses remote sensing imagery and meteorological data to detect and display damaged areas such as flooding, rubble, and other land-cover changes. The images show areas of a utility’s territory that have been damaged by high winds or tornadoes, areas that are flooded and inaccessible, and areas that have damaged vegetation and likely downed lines from ice storms.

Anticipating and preventing emergencies

Utilities also require more effective ways of anticipating potential disruptions and stopping them from spreading into widespread outages. PNNL’s advanced software tools help utilities keep the grid stable under the most challenging conditions.

PNNL’s Dynamic Contingency Analysis Tool helps utilities anticipate and manage power and grid instability during extreme events. The software enables operators to see and reinforce weak spots on the grid to stop cascading power losses or blackouts. Agencies and utilities have also used this tool to prioritize restoration activities and investments for resiliency. PNNL’s Mode Meter tool identifies and analyzes oscillation modes to help operators understand where to take remedial action when a power system approaches unstable conditions. The Shared Perspectives tool enables electric utilities in different service areas to see a combined view of their service territories in real time, thereby accelerating restoration response.

Other PNNL-developed software tools determine whether microgrids can operate successfully with their current generation and load mix under extreme scenarios. During an emergency, this information provides needed clarity for utilities striving to balance electricity demand with supply, while keeping power flowing to critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and emergency services.

Cyberattacks present another disruptive threat to energy services. PNNL works with government and industry on new ways to detect, thwart, and minimize the impact of these constantly evolving attacks.

Recent News

NOVEMBER 1, 2024
News Release

Researchers Develop High-Tech Methods to Stem the Flow of Fentanyl

Read
This graphic shows the words, "fentanyl, nitazenes, opioids," on a graphic that shows chemical structures as well as pills.
OCTOBER 21, 2024
Staff Accomplishment

EGRASS Wins Big at R&D 100 Awards

Read
The EGRASS team visits Puerto Rico
AUGUST 29, 2024
News Release

PNNL Technology Wins Three R&D 100 Awards

Read
R&D 2024 Logo
SEE MORE RELATED NEWS

Related Capabilities

Power Systems & Electrical Engineering
Cyber & Information Sciences
Systems Engineering & Integration
SEE ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES

Facilities

Electricity Infrastructure Operations Center Systems Engineering Building

Related Links

What is the Smart Grid?

PNNL

  • Get in Touch
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Doing Business
    • Environmental Reports
    • Security & Privacy
    • Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
  • Research
    • Scientific Discovery
    • Energy Resiliency
    • National Security
Subscribe to PNNL News
Department of Energy Logo Battelle Logo
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is managed and operated by Battelle for the Department of Energy
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • X (formerly Twitter)
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn