Wiley Handbook of Science and Technology for Homeland Security, 4 Volume Set

SELF-HEALING AND RESILIENT ENERGY SYSTEMS

S. MASSOUD AMIN

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

1 INTRODUCTION

The rise of our nation into a global economic power, which began with the opening of a vast continent in the mid-1800s by the railroads, was followed in the nineteenth century by expansion of the networks of commerce, navigable waterways, transportation, water supply and wastewater, dams, electric power networks, and rural electrification (in the early to mid-twentieth century), aviation, transit, and highways. This has dramatically transformed our nation and the resultant economic output has been unprecedented in history.

The tremendous value of infrastructure systems such as roads and bridges and the nation that help make possible indispensable activities of our modern societies cannot be overstated. I would submit that along with our bricks and mortar infrastructure—railroads, highways, bridges, seaports, and airports—another important part is the “hidden infrastructure” that supports the workings of all aspects of our $14 trillion economy.²

2 THE BIGGER PICTURE

Energy, telecommunications, transportation, and financial infrastructures are becoming increasingly interconnected, thus posing new challenges for their secure, reliable, and efficient operation. All of these infrastructures are themselves complex networks, geographically dispersed, nonlinear, and interacting both among themselves and with their human owners, operators, and users. No single entity ...