Data-Driven Strategies Fortify the Distribution Grid Against Extreme Events
Research Engineer Reiko Matsuda-Dunn Explores Creative Solutions to Weather-Related Power Outages
In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri brought record-low temperatures to Texas, and millions of people lost power—some for days on end. In the same year, Hurricane Ida damaged thousands of distribution transformers and tens of thousands of utility poles and wires, leaving more than 1 million people without power.
Outages like these from severe weather can cut off heating and cooling, disrupt critical life-sustaining medical equipment, and halt essential services such as water treatment and communications. Although these events are rare, the consequences are high, and they show just how much we depend on a reliable grid to keep our communities safe and connected.
As a research engineer in the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), formerly known as NREL, Grid Planning and Analysis Center (GPAC), I work to understand how the grid responds during disaster scenarios—and find solutions that can strengthen the grid. How do we ensure critical services have power during major storms, wildfires, or hurricanes? When that is not possible, how do we restore power faster after an outage? How do we prioritize critical services and customers that are most impacted in the affected area?
These problems are dynamic—shaped by changing weather patterns and shifting needs of communities and challenged as utilities manage increasing load growth from multiple sectors, including those requiring very high reliability, like data centers. As such, they require flexible, creative solutions that can adapt over time as conditions, risks, and opportunities continue to change.
Understanding, Predicting, and Minimizing Vulnerabilities
More than 90% of electrical interruptions are because of outages in the distribution system, which refers to the lower-voltage power lines, transformers, and utility poles that deliver electricity to homes and businesses. These outages can happen when distribution system components are damaged by high winds, falling branches, heavy snow, or other threats.
Distribution planning strategies can help prevent damage, even if an outage is the result of a problem in power generation or in the higher-voltage transmission network, not in the distribution system. Successful planning can reduce consequences with microgrids or switching operations that allow flexible network configurations to power essential equipment or even maintain normal operations in targeted areas.
Our team analyzes detailed data on how the distribution grid has performed in past disasters. This allows us to zoom in, determine exactly what happened and why, and identify patterns. For example, in our study of past times of high wind, we examined gusts up to 70 miles per hour in rural areas of Minnesota and found that a single feeder—an electrical circuit that delivers electricity from a substation to end users—experienced more than nine weeks of cumulative outages in a single year because of high-wind-related events.
These insights help us pinpoint the most vulnerable parts of the grid, allowing us to prioritize investments, strengthen infrastructure, and design smarter, more adaptable systems. Once we know where the grid is vulnerable, we can explore targeted solutions to improve its performance during disruptions. Some solutions are physical, including undergrounding—the process of burying power lines or reinforcing distribution poles—whereas others rely on technology, like remote sensors that detect hazards or distributed energy resources that keep power flowing even when parts of the grid fail.
Quantifying Benefits of Solutions
Our work does not end with identifying solutions to harden the grid—we also determine which solutions offer the best value.
Using our high-resolution data, we evaluate how various solutions reduce outages, speed up restoration, and support public safety. Our goal is to provide clear, evidence-based insights that show which solutions are most effective and cost-efficient and tailored to the unique needs of each area.
To give a few examples of possible strategies, undergrounding is an effective investment to reduce wind and vegetation impacts. However, in areas with significant bedrock, undergrounding can become cost prohibitive. In denser or more urban areas, the grid often has multiple pathways for delivering electricity to the same location. This allows grid operators to leverage switching operations, which deliver power with an alternative circuit configuration when something goes wrong and damaged assets must be deenergized. However, in rural areas where customers and infrastructure are farther apart, switching operations might not be an option.
By assessing various solutions, we help decision makers such as utilities, regulators, and state energy offices recover more quickly when disruptions occur and make the most of their resources as they prepare for the future.
Solve Power Grid Problems With Us
We are always open to collaborating with industry, regulatory agencies, state and local government, and others to identify grid-strengthening solutions for real-world events. If you are reading this and are interested in collaborating, sharing data, or exploring new approaches, learn how to partner with us and expand the impact of this work together!
Learn more on NLR’s Distribution Planning page and in a recently released publication, Guidance for Grid Resilience Decisions in Rural Minnesota.
Last Updated May 28, 2025