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CEIC-03-12

"Cascading Failures: Survival vs. Prevention"

Sarosh N. Talukdar, Jay Apt, Marija Ilic, Lester B. Lave, and M. Granger Morgan

Abstract:
Measures can be taken to reduce the number of large-scale power losses due to failures of the generation and high voltage transmission grid such as the August 14, 2003 blackout. However, such failures cannot be eliminated. The survival of essential missions is a more tractable problem than the prevention of all large cascading failures, and its solutions are verifiable. We propose that serious attention be directed towards assuring the continuation of essential missions even after the grid has failed. We outline a program to lower the social costs of power failures through successful preservation of those essential missions.

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