By Hai Xiao and Anand Gramopadhye
The electric grid is one of the great engineering achievements of modern life. Most days, it works so well that we barely notice it. We flip a switch, charge a phone, cool a home, power a factory or run a hospital, and we expect the electricity to be there.
But the grid is under new pressure.
Demand is rising from data centers, advanced manufacturing, transportation and other parts of the economy that are using more electricity. Extreme weather is testing the system in new ways. At the same time, utilities are preparing for a wave of retirements among the engineers who know how to keep power flowing.
That is why the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences is declaring this Grid Resilience Week.
Throughout the week, we will share stories about how the college is helping address one of the most important infrastructure challenges facing the nation. These stories focus on the technologies, facilities, partnerships and people needed to make the grid stronger, smarter and more resilient.
At Clemson, we believe the toughest problems are solved by teams. Our faculty members are working with utilities, industry partners, national laboratories, government agencies and academic collaborators to develop and test ideas that can make a real difference. This is urgent work tied to a system that provides the backbone for modern society.
We are fortunate to have brilliant faculty members who are recognized leaders in power systems, power electronics and related fields. We have students who are discovering that power engineering is not an old problem already solved, but a growing field full of meaningful challenges. And we have world-class facilities that allow Clemson and its partners to test new technologies under realistic conditions without putting the actual grid at risk.
We hope you will take time this week to read these stories. They show Clemson at its best: bringing together talented people, high-quality partners and exceptional facilities to solve problems that matter.
The work is difficult, the stakes are high and Clemson is helping lead the way.
Hai Xiao is the chair of the Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Anand Gramopadhye is the dean of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences.
Coming Tuesday: Learn how Clemson’s electrical engineers are working with partners to ensure that power keeps flowing through the grid’s more than 600,000 miles of transmission lines.
Read additional coverage of Clemson’s work related to grid resilience here:
NSF taps Clemson for grid innovation
Turning waste heat to electricity
Keeping the electrical grid in SHAPE
