Storms, cybersecurity and the smart grid are all on the utility industry's radars this year, and none of them are going away any time soon. That means there's no time like the present to start reading up on what's to come.
Whether you get your reading materials on your Kindle or off the shelf at a local bookshop, publishers have been paying attention to grid issues over the last few months. These five recent and upcoming releases deal with issues of technology and regulation that every utility exec should be better informed about, so check out what their authors have to say. You may even learn something:
1. LESSONS FROM FRANKENSTORM: INVESTING FOR FUTURE POWER DISRUPTIONS
Author: John Licata
Publisher: Wiley (e-book only)
Price: $34.49
For as long as power lines have existed, extreme weather has been a threat to electrical service. In his new book Lessons from Frankenstorm, author John Licata sets out to identify where the grid is most vulnerable right now and where new solutions may come from. Licata, who is the founder and chief energy strategist at the research company Blue Phoenix Inc., looks at the U.S. through the lens of Superstorm Sandy and terrorist threats, wondering if companies such as Google, Lockheed Martin, NRG Energy and Xerox may have some of the answers.
2. OPTIMIZATION AND SECURITY CHALLENGES IN SMART POWER GRIDS
Editors: Vijay Pappu, Marco Carvalho and Panos Pardalos
Publisher: Springer
Price: $179.00
Looking for a comprehensive assessment of the benefits and risks associated with new smart grid technologies? University of Florida professor Panos M. Pardalos is among the editors for this upcoming release, which is due out on Sept. 30 and will tackle the risks associated with the future of the grid. According to the publisher, the book will examine the balancing act that comes with improving customer experience and service while keeping the grid secure and answering challenges at the regulatory and industry levels.
3. LET IT SHINE: THE 6,000-YEAR STORY OF SOLAR ENERGY
Authors: John Perlin
Publisher: New World Library
Price: $29.95
Perlin's ambitious undertaking frames the current wave of solar energy adoption as just one more step in a centuries-old use of the sun by mankind. Let it Shine is a history lesson that puts human technology into context. You may not find an answer what the sun's role in utility business models will be, but as you can see in the preview on Perlin's website, you may walk away with a deeper understanding what the sun meant to people and their homes long before SolarCity and Solyndra showed up to the scene.
4. THE GREAT TEXAS WIND RUSH
Authors: Kate Galbraith and Asher Price
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Price: $24.95
Journalists Kate Galbraith and Asher Price have assembled a 209-page look at what happened when 300-foot-tall wind turbines blew into the Lone Star State. In a state that's known for its oil industry presence, this is a researched read that should interest anyone who wants an account of the businesses, interests and people responsible for establishing wind power as a force in Texas.
5. GRIDLOCK
Authors: Byron L. Dorgan and David Hagberg
Publisher: Forge Books
Price: $26.99
If you work at an electric utility, we know you probably don't want to think about any more nightmare scenarios than you already deal with on a seasonal basis. However, if you want a work of fiction that crosses over into the world of cyberterrorism and what it could mean for the grid, pick up form Sen. Byron L. Dorgan's new novel Gridlock. As you've read recently on Utility Dive no doubt, cyberattack worries are real. Thankfully, this book about the Russians and Iranians is a work of fiction based on Dorgan's own concerns.
“We have not built a superhighway of transmission capability that is big, new, broad and protected," Dorgan told Politico. "We have a grid system that is, in many ways, vulnerable. It’s old, it’s archaic, and so we’ve done a lot to strengthen our country and protect our country against cyberterrorism, but the answer is not enough.”
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