We take electricity for granted until something causes us to lose power for a few hours, or perhaps even a few days. Losing power is a very inconvenient reminder of why we need an electric power grid that is both reliable — that is, having an adequate supply of electricity — and resilient — that is, responsive to extreme events that interrupt power.

Utilities have done a good job of ensuring reliability. But now, there is a lot of discussion about resilience because of man-made threats to the grid, such as cybersecurity, and natural challenges, such as extreme weather.