Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid

Meredith Angwin

Book cover for Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid
Book cover for Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid
Book cover for Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid
Book cover for Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid

Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid

Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid

Meredith Angwin

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Description

When rolling blackouts come to the electric grid, they will be old news to the grid insiders.

Only the electricity customers will be surprised.

Grid insiders know how fragile the grid is becoming. Unfortunately, they have no incentive to solve the problems because near-misses increase their profits. Meredith Angwin describes how closed meetings, arcane auction rules, and five-minute planning horizons will topple the reliability of our electric grid. Shorting the Grid shines light on our vulnerable grid. It also suggests actions that can support the grid that supports all of us.

Critical Reviews

In Shorting the Grid, Meredith Angwin provides an enormously valuable, clear, and succinct explanation of our most important network...If you care about the future of our increasingly electrified world, buy this book and read it.

- Robert Bryce, author of A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations

An eye-opening exposé of our grid's vulnerabilities...If you take for granted that the lights go on when you flip a switch, this book may blow your mind.

- Joshua S. Goldstein, author of A Bright Future, How Some Countries have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow

Shorting the Grid is full of sharp writing and engaging stories about the most hidden part of our grid - how grid-level decisions are made.

- Dan Nott, artist and author of Hidden Systems, a forthcoming graphic non-fiction book on infrastructure

The National Academy of Engineering describes the U.S. power grid as the "supreme engineering achievement of the 20th century." ...Shorting the Grid reveals reasons why we must pay more attention to grid governance and the potential of poor decisions to override technical successes.

- Rod Adams: blogger at Atomic Insights, Managing Member at Nucleation Capital LP

Publishing Information

Publisher: Carnot Communications
Pub date: 2020-10-19
Length: 440 pages

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