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Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): February 2025 Issue

How electricity utility practitioners in the United States approach power system resilience

Shardul Tiwari
University of Toronto
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3472-4547
Aritra Chakrabarty
Michigan Technological University
Chelsea Schelly
Michigan Technological University
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6376-1577
Mostafa Sahraei-Ardakani
University of Utah
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5770-8291
Gaby Ou
University of Florida
Jianli Chen
University of Utah

Corresponding Author(s) : Chelsea Schelly

cschelly@mtu.edu

Future Energy, Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): February 2025 Issue

Abstract

This study explores the understanding and practice of resilience among electrical utilities in the United States, focusing on how practitioners in the utility sector conceptualize and apply resilience in their work. As electricity becomes increasingly central to modern life, powering critical infrastructure and essential services, the resilience of power systems has gained prominence in energy policy and planning. However, there is a lack of standardized definitions and approaches to resilience in both academia and practice, particularly from an energy service perspective. The research employs a qualitative approach, utilizing semi-structured interviews with experts (practitioners) from transmission and distribution utilities in the United States to examine their definitions, understanding, and applications of resilience. By adopting a grounded approach, the study aims to identify key themes and concepts that practitioners associate with power system resilience. The findings outline that there is no clear definition of resilience amongst utility practitioners, and resilience and reliability are often used interchangeably/synonymously as there are no fixed indicators for resilience amongst practitioners. At present, unlike reliability, utilities are not including resilience as a term in their long-term resource planning, and neither are reporting resilience-based indicators to any of the government agencies. The findings contribute to the ongoing dialogue on energy resilience and offer a foundation for developing more comprehensive and context-specific approaches to building resilient energy systems that prioritize critical services and vulnerable populations.

Keywords

Energy Resilience Electricity Utility Energy Services Resilient energy system United States
Tiwari, Shardul, Aritra Chakrabarty, Chelsea Schelly, Mostafa Sahraei-Ardakani, Gaby Ou, and Jianli Chen. 2025. “How Electricity Utility Practitioners in the United States Approach Power System Resilience”. Future Energy 4 (1):19-29. https://fupubco.com/fuen/article/view/238.
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