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topics:resilience [2026/03/14 12:34] – ↷ Page moved from resilience to topics:resilience admintopics:resilience [2026/03/20 00:02] (current) – Status updated to review admin
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-This topic relates to the following pages within the ISGAN online Wiki: +<WRAP catbadge>General topicsstatus: review 
 +status: review 
 +</WRAP>
  
-[[wellbeing|]]; +====== Resilience ======
  
-[[sdg|]]+<WRAP meta> 
 +lead-authors: Vitaliy Soloviy 
 +contributors: Klaus Kubeczko 
 +reviewers: [Names] 
 +version: 3.0 
 +updated: 16 March 2026 
 +sensitivity: medium 
 +ai-use: Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) assisted with topic structuring, editorial revision, reference verification, and formatting; reviewed by Vitaliy Soloviy, 17.03.2026 
 +</WRAP>
  
-[[human_right|]]+<WRAP intro> 
 +Resilience refers to the performance and evolution of energy systems under disruptions, from acute shocks like extreme weather and cyberattacks to chronic stresses like shifting demand patterns and climate change. Thinking about resilience goes beyond absorbing shocks to include how systems adapt to the changing nature of disruptions and how they transform to safeguard essential functions over the long term. 
 +</WRAP>
  
-[[public_service|]];+===== Why this matters =====
  
-[[network_-_grid|]];+Electricity systems were designed around a narrower range of threats than they now face. Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, cyber threats target both operational technology and data infrastructure, and chronic stresses from ageing assets and shifting generation mixes compound over time.
  
-[[critical_infrastructure|]]+An acute example is the April 2025 Iberian blackout that collapsed the entire Spanish-Portuguese system within seconds. Technically mature renewable installations were operating without grid-forming inverter capabilities, and coordination protocols between TSOs had not been designed for a system where renewables supplied 78% of generation. Technical readiness in individual components did not translate into system-level resilience.((ENTSO-E Expert Panel. (2025). //Grid incident in Spain and Portugal on 28 April 2025: Factual report (Phase 1)//. ENTSO-E. https://www.entsoe.eu/publications/blackout/28-april-2025-iberian-blackout/))
  
 +The number of actors involved in system operation is growing, and the coordination required to manage disruptions cuts across technical, regulatory, and governance domains.
  
 +Smart grid transitions redistribute where resilience sits in the system. Distributed generation and storage shift some resilience functions from central infrastructure to the grid edge, where households, communities, and microgrid operators become participants rather than passive consumers. Meanwhile, digitalisation makes new forms of coordination possible but also introduces cyber vulnerabilities that did not exist in analogue systems. Whether these changes strengthen or weaken overall resilience depends on how well technical design, institutional rules, and the capacities of different actor groups are aligned with each other.
  
-====== Resilience ======+===== A shared definition ===== 
 + 
 +Resilience in energy systems encompasses the capacity to anticipate, withstand, respond to, and recover from disruptions while developing and transforming over time to maintain core functions. Two dimensions structure the concept. The first concerns disruptions: the SINTEF/NTNU risk pyramid arranges these along a severity gradient from everyday operational events through serious incidents to catastrophic system failures, each requiring distinct governance and response types. The second concerns the capacities a system can draw on. 
 + 
 +^ Capacity ^ What it involves ^ Smart grid examples ^ 
 +| Absorptive | Withstanding shocks without loss of core function through redundancy, robustness, and rapid response | Redundant communication paths, fault-tolerant grid design, ruggedised critical components | 
 +| Adaptive | Adjusting system configuration and operation in response to changing conditions, maintaining function through flexibility | Demand response programmes, flexible grid topologies, updated operating procedures, decentralised generation | 
 +| Transformative | Reconfiguring system architecture when existing arrangements cannot absorb or adapt to the scale of disturbance | Restructuring grid infrastructure and regulatory frameworks, transitioning from centralised to distributed architectures | 
 +| Anticipatory | Identifying future risks and preparing responses before disruptions materialise | Climate impact modelling, scenario-based grid planning, horizon scanning, blackout preparedness exercises | 
 + 
 +These capacities interact. Anticipation informs investment in absorption and adaptation, while timely adaptation may ease the deeper reconfigurations that transformation requires. A resilient system draws on all four, weighted according to the threats it faces and the time horizon it plans for. 
 + 
 +===== Perspectives =====
  
-===== Evolution of resilience thinking [EC JRC, 2017] =====+How resilience plays out in practice depends on who is responsible for it, what technical capabilities are in place, and which rules govern how actors respond. The three perspectives below examine resilience from each of these angles. Where they overlap, particularly around data infrastructure and coordination protocols, the interactions matter as much as the individual dimensions.
  
-What can RESILIENCE mean in the context of SMART GRIDS TRANSITIONS - INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE requires a transparency regarding the conceptual background. +<WRAP perspectives> 
-  +==== Actors and stakeholders ====
-Differences and similarities that should be highlighted btw Social Resilience, which is the relevant concept related to INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE and earlier concepts: +
-It is NOT about bouncing back to an equilibrium, rather bouncing forward. +
-Emphasis is on agile and transformative action and interventions, less on adaptation and not on absorption. +
-  +
-{{ :bd983c0a174d3677421f27306a65137b.png?600 |}} +
-  +
-[Source: European Commission. Joint Research Centre., 2017. Building a scientific narrative towards a more resilient EU society. Part 1, A conceptual framework. Publications Office, LU.]+
  
 +System operators carry primary responsibility for operational resilience, but as grids become more decentralised, the contributions of households with battery storage, energy communities, and microgrid operators gain significance. Different actors hold different views on resilience depending on how they use electricity, which constraints affect them most, and what timescales matter for their decisions. A transmission system operator planning infrastructure investments over decades faces different resilience questions than a community microgrid operator managing seasonal cyclone risk. Coordination among these groups, through knowledge exchange, resource sharing, and rapid response protocols, shapes whether resilience benefits are distributed equitably.
  
-===== Social Resilience in EU policy making - absorptive, adaptive and transformative resilience [EC JRC, 2017] =====+<WRAP case> 
 +**Japan — post-Fukushima resilience restructuring** \\ 
 +The systemic response to the 2011 disaster involved multiple actor groups: utilities restructured generation portfolios, regulators overhauled safety and market rules, municipalities developed local energy resilience plans, and households adjusted consumption patterns. The 7th Strategic Energy Plan, adopted in February 2025, continues to place energy security alongside decarbonisation as a core policy pillar.((Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan. (2025). //7th Strategic Energy Plan//. METI. https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/others/basic_plan/)) 
 +</WRAP>
  
-"Resilience is the ability not only to withstand and cope with challenges but also to undergo transitions in a sustainable, fair, and democratic manner. Resilience is necessary in all policy areas to undergo the green and digital transitions, while maintaining the EU’s core purpose and integrity in a dynamic and at times turbulent environment. A more resilient Europe will recover faster, emerge stronger from current and future crises, and better implement the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals." 
  
- +<WRAP case> 
 +**Puerto Rico — post-hurricane grid reconstruction** \\ 
 +Rebuilding the electricity system after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 involved federal agencies, the utility PREPA, municipal governments, and community organisations, exposing how fragmented institutional responsibilities can slow resilient recovery.((Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2018). //2017 hurricane season FEMA after-action report//. FEMA. https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-08/fema_hurricane-season-after-action-report_2017.pdf)) 
 +</WRAP>
  
-"The framework for resilience has five main ingredients, which are elaborated in more detail in the coming sections. 
  
-First, it is individual centric and takes the societal perspective. In particular, the final goal of resilience is functional to societal and individual wellbeing, and the main contributors to resilience are individuals, with all of their interactions, social ties and power structures.+<WRAP case> 
 +**Bangladesh — cyclone-resilient energy infrastructure** \\ 
 +Communities in coastal areas have worked with NGOs and government agencies to develop resilient off-grid solutions that withstand frequent cyclone exposure, demonstrating that resilience building in resource-constrained settings depends on local actor capacity as much as technology.((International Renewable Energy Agency. (2016). //Innovation outlook: Renewable mini-grids//. IRENA. https://www.irena.org/publications/2016/Sep/Innovation-Outlook-Renewable-Mini-Grids)) 
 +</WRAP>
  
-Second, it takes a dynamic perspective. Shocks can differ in their chronicity and intensity, which influences the relative importance of stability versus flexibility (the absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacities). Moreover, during the dynamic response to shocks, it might happen that there is a change in the most relevant capacity, in the most affected entities, or both at the same time. 
  
-Third, it emphasizes interactions, feedbacks and possible nonlinearities among various entities and layers of the system. This “system view” helps understanding how shocks spread among the different segments of the system, how they interact with each other and with the actors, and based on all these, where to intervene. This also serves as a call to break the silos in policy making.+==== Technologies and infrastructure ====
  
-Fourth, interventions may contribute actively to the resilience of the overall system, by enhancing the entities’ own abilities to cope with disturbances. This could mean helping entities to invoke the necessary capacities (e.g. incentivizing people to accumulate savings to cope with a potential job loss), or support these capacities directly (e.g. unemployment benefits). Interventions may need to vary with individuals and change in time.+System architecture, how technical components are arranged and how they interact, is a major factor in a grid's resilience. Wide-area monitoring provides situational awareness during disturbances. Advanced distribution management systems enable rapid reconfiguration after faults. Microgrids with islanding capability allow critical facilities to maintain power during wider outages. Redundancy in communication networks ensures that monitoring and control functions survive localised failures. What distinguishes resilient architecture from robust architecture is the capacity not only to withstand shocks but to reconfigure in response to them.
  
-Fifth, a crucial aspect is to be able to “bounce forward” (instead of “bouncing back”), to learn from past difficulties, and come out stronger from a witnessed storm. This means being able to use shocks as windows of opportunities, and thus translate the negative narrative of a “stormy future” into a positive one."+<WRAP case> 
 +**Australia — South Australia system resilience programme** \\ 
 +Following the September 2016 statewide blackout, the South Australian government and AEMO implemented a coordinated response including the Hornsdale Power Reserve, updated frequency control requirements, and revised grid connection standards for wind and solar that addressed the specific technical gaps the event had exposed.((Australian Energy Market Operator. (2017). //Black system South Australia 28 September 2016: Final report//. AEMO. https://www.aemo.com.au/-/media/files/electricity/nem/market_notices_and_events/power_system_incident_reports/2017/integrated-final-report-sa-black-system-28-september-2016.pdf)) 
 +</WRAP>
  
-[European Commission. Joint Research Centre. Building a Scientific Narrative towards a More Resilient EU Society. Part 1, A Conceptual Framework. LU: Publications Office, 2017. [[https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/635528]].] 
  
-===== Transformative resilience [EC JRC, 2017] =====+<WRAP case> 
 +**Spain and Portugal — April 2025 Iberian blackout** \\ 
 +The loss of approximately 15 GW of generation within five seconds revealed how inverter-based renewable plants operating in fixed-power-factor mode contributed to cascading failure. The ENTSO-E factual report identified excessive voltage as the probable trigger, with plants disconnecting automatically to protect equipment rather than actively supporting the grid.((ENTSO-E Expert Panel. (2025). //Grid incident in Spain and Portugal on 28 April 2025: Factual report (Phase 1)//. ENTSO-E. https://www.entsoe.eu/publications/blackout/28-april-2025-iberian-blackout/)) 
 +</WRAP>
  
-"The transformative resilience is the means of learning from past events and engineering changes ideally to a better condition given the current constraints. Such a shift of the status quo is nevertheless difficult. Moreover, learning from past or current disturbances is the opportunity to handle better future crisis (the steeling effect put forward by Rutter (2012)). Since the ultimate goal is to maximize societal wellbeing, any distress, no matter how painful, is also the mean for improvement in managing future disturbances. This is a continuous process, where ex-post and ex ante evaluations follow each other in a circular fashion." (p.8) 
-[European Commission. Joint Research Centre. Building a Scientific Narrative towards a More Resilient EU Society. Part 1, A Conceptual Framework. LU: Publications Office, 2017. [[https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/635528]].] 
-Social Resilience - Capacities and Interventions [EC JRC, 2017] 
  
-[Source: European Commission. Joint Research Centre., 2017. Building a scientific narrative towards a more resilient EU society. Part 1, A conceptual framework. Publications Office, LU.] +<WRAP case> 
-  +**Denmark — Bornholm island microgrid demonstration** \\ 
-===== Resilience of the "Engine" [EC JRC, 2017] =====+The EcoGrid EU project tested whether a distribution network with high wind penetration could operate in islanded mode, providing evidence on technical resilience capabilities for isolated systems dependent on variable generation.((EcoGrid EU. (2016). //EcoGrid EU: A prototype for European smart grids. Final report//. http://www.eu-ecogrid.net/)) 
 +</WRAP>
  
-In the context of ISGAN WG7, Resilienc of the energy system 
-refers to resilience of the "engine" for wellbeing (in the figure below) 
-as INSTITUTIONS, PRODUCTION Process, CONSUMPTION, INVESTMENT, WASTE. 
-It also refers to Socio-System SERVICES. 
-  
-{{::engine.jpg?600|}} 
  
-[Source: European Commission. Joint Research Centre., 2017. Building a scientific narrative towards a more resilient EU society. Part 1, A conceptual framework. Publications Office, LU.] +==== Institutional structures ====
-  +
-===== Resilience Thinking - Socio-ecological: Integrating Resilience, Adaptability and Transformability ===== +
-  +
-"In a nutshell, **resilience thinking** focuses on three aspects of social–ecological systems (SES): **resilience** as **persistence**, **adaptability** and **transformability**.+
  
-Resilience is the tendency of a SES subject to change to remain within a stability domain, continually changing and adapting yet remaining within critical thresholds. Adaptability is a part of resilience. Adaptability is the capacity of a SES to adjust its responses to changing external drivers and internal processes and thereby allow for development within the current stability domain, along the current trajectory. Transformability is the capacity to create new stability domains for development, a new stability landscape, and cross thresholds into a new development trajectory.+Regulatory frameworks shape how resilience is defined, measured, and invested in. Performance-based regulation can reward utilities for improving resilience outcomes rather than simply expanding infrastructure. Market designs that value fast frequency response, black start capability, and voltage support create commercial pathways for resilience provision. Cross-sector planning for interdependencies between electricity, telecommunications, water, and transport helps ensure that resilience in one domain does not depend on fragile assumptions about another.
  
-Deliberate transformation requires resilience thinking, first in assessing the relative merits of the current versus alternative, potentially more favorable stability domains, and second in fostering resilience of the new development trajectory, the new basin of attraction.+<WRAP case> 
 +**United Kingdom — Ofgem resilience obligations** \\ 
 +The RIIO-ED2 regulatory framework includes specific output targets for network resilience, including flood protection and overhead line undergrounding in high-risk areas, linking operator revenue directly to measurable resilience performance.((Ofgem. (2022). //RIIO-ED2 final determinations//. Office of Gas and Electricity Markets. https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/riio-ed2-final-determinations)) 
 +</WRAP>
  
-Transformations do not take place in a vacuum, but draw on resilience from multiple scales, making use of crises as windows of opportunity, and recombining sources of experience and knowledge to navigate social–ecological transitions from a regime in one stability landscape to another. 
  
-Transformation involves novelty and innovation. Transformational change at smaller scales enables resilience at larger scales, while the capacity to transform at smaller scales draws on resilience at other scales. Thus, deliberate transformation involves breaking down the resilience of the old and building the resilience of the new. As the Earth System approaches or exceeds thresholds that might precipitate a forced transformation to some state outside its Holocene stability domain, society must seriously consider ways to foster more flexible systems that contribute to Earth System resilience and to explore options for the deliberate transformation of systems that threaten Earth System resilience."+<WRAP case> 
 +**Nigeria — grid resilience governance** \\ 
 +The institutional separation of generation, transmission, and distribution across different entities creates coordination challenges, particularly at the interface between the Transmission Company of Nigeria and regional distribution companies where operational responsibilities overlap. 
 +</WRAP>
  
-[Source: Folke, Carl, Stephen R. Carpenter, Brian Walker, Marten Scheffer, Terry Chapin, and Johan Rockström. ‘Resilience Thinking: Integrating Resilience, Adaptability and Transformability’. Ecology and Society 15, no. 4 (2010): art20. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-03610-150420. ] 
  
 +<WRAP case>
 +**Chile — critical infrastructure protection framework** \\
 +Institutional arrangements for protecting electricity infrastructure against seismic and climate-related hazards reflect the country's geophysical realities, illustrating how regulatory design can embed resilience requirements that are specific to local conditions rather than imported from generic templates.
 +</WRAP>
  
-===== Resilience Network - key characteristics [ChatGPT September 25 Version] ===== 
-[[critical_infrastructure|]] 
  
-A "resilience network" typically refers to a collaborative or interconnected system of organizations, individuals, and resources that work together to enhance resilience in the face of various challenges, such as disasters, emergencies, or other adverse events. Resilience networks are designed to improve a community's or an organization's ability to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and adapt to disruptions or crises.+</WRAP>
  
-Key characteristics of a resilience network may include:+===== Key terms =====
  
-1. Collaboration: Resilience networks involve different stakeholders, including government agencies, non-profit organizations, businesses, community groups, and individuals, working together to achieve common resilience goals. Collaboration fosters the sharing of resources, information, and expertise.+^ Term ^ Definition ^ 
 +| **Black start capability** | The ability of a power system or generation unit to restart without relying on external electricity supply, a key operational function following a complete system blackout.((Panteli, M., & Mancarella, P. (2015). The grid: Stronger, bigger, smarter? Presenting a conceptual framework of power system resilience. //IEEE Power and Energy Magazine//, 13(3), 58–66. https://doi.org/10.1109/MPE.2015.2397334)) | 
 +| **Preparedness** | The ability to anticipate risks, plan strategically, and coordinate effective responses across governance levels before disruptions occur. Complementary to resilience, with emphasis on foresight and institutional coordination rather than system performance during and after an event.((Zilli, R., Angelova, E. H., Bindner, H. W., Breuhaus, P., Cabiati, M., Calis, G., Čaušević, S., El Gammal, A., Giovinazzi, S., Iannone, F., Jünger, J., Kiel, E. S., Kjølle, G., Koh, L., Lee, Y.-C., Linßen, J., Mäkinen, T., Manella, G., Martini, L., ... Watson, J. (2025). //Resilience and preparedness in Europe's energy transition: The role of low-carbon energy R&I// [Position paper]. European Energy Research Alliance. ISBN 9782931174111.)) | 
 +| **Grid-forming inverter** | An inverter that establishes its own voltage and frequency reference, enabling it to support grid stability independently rather than synchronising to an existing grid signal. Systems with high shares of inverter-based generation require grid-forming capability for voltage control and black start.((ENTSO-E Expert Panel. (2025). //Grid incident in Spain and Portugal on 28 April 2025: Factual report (Phase 1)//. ENTSO-E. https://www.entsoe.eu/publications/blackout/28-april-2025-iberian-blackout/)) | 
 +| **Islanding** | The ability of a portion of the distribution network or a microgrid to disconnect from the main grid and operate independently during a wider system disruption, maintaining local supply to critical loads.((Panteli, M., & Mancarella, P. (2015). The grid: Stronger, bigger, smarter? Presenting a conceptual framework of power system resilience. //IEEE Power and Energy Magazine//, 13(3), 58–66. https://doi.org/10.1109/MPE.2015.2397334)) | 
 +| **Defence plan** | A coordinated set of automatic protection actions, including load shedding and controlled system separation, designed to arrest cascading failures and preserve as much of the system as possible during severe disturbances.((ENTSO-E Expert Panel. (2025). //Grid incident in Spain and Portugal on 28 April 2025: Factual report (Phase 1)//. ENTSO-E. https://www.entsoe.eu/publications/blackout/28-april-2025-iberian-blackout/)) |
  
-2. Information Sharing: Information is a critical component of resilience. Resilience networks often prioritize the sharing of information related to risks, vulnerabilities, and response strategies. This can include early warning systems, real-time data sharing, and communication plans. 
  
-3. Resource Mobilization: Networks can pool resources, both financial and logistical, to improve preparedness and response efforts. This might involve sharing equipment, personnel, or funding during a crisis.+===== Distinctions and overlaps =====
  
-4. Coordination: Effective coordination and communication within the network are essential for a timely and efficient response. Coordination mechanisms help prevent duplication of efforts and ensure that resources are deployed where they are most needed.+<WRAP distinction> 
 +**Resilience vs. reliability** \\ 
 +Reliability concerns continuous electricity supply under normal operating conditions and foreseeable contingencies. Resilience concerns the system's response to high-impact, low-probability events and chronic stresses that exceed normal planning assumptions. A reliable system may lack resilience if it cannot cope with conditions it was not designed for. 
 +</WRAP>
  
-5. Flexibility and Adaptability: Resilience networks are designed to be flexible and adaptable, capable of responding to evolving threats and changing circumstances. They can adjust their strategies and plans as new information becomes available.+<WRAP distinction> 
 +**Resilience vs. preparedness** \\ 
 +Resilience describes the capacity to withstand, adapt to, and recover from disruptions. Preparedness describes the ability to anticipate risks and coordinate responses before disruptions materialise. A system can be resilient in its technical design while underprepared institutionally. The 2025 Iberian blackout illustrated this gap: renewable installations met technical performance standards individually, but the system lacked the grid-forming inverter deployment and cross-TSO coordination protocols that preparedness planning would have identified as necessary. 
 +</WRAP>
  
-6. Community Engagement: Engaging the local community is often a central aspect of resilience networks. Empowering community members and involving them in decision-making processes can enhance overall resilience. 
  
-7. Multidisciplinary Approach: Resilience networks often involve stakeholders with diverse skills, expertise, and backgrounds. This multidisciplinary approach can provide a holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities for resilience.+===== Related topics =====
  
-Resilience networks can take various forms, depending on the specific context and goals. They are commonly found in disaster management, public health, climate adaptation, and other fields where the ability to withstand and recover from adverse events is a priority.+{{tag>Flexibility Institutions Transition Digitalisation}}
  
-In essence, resilience networks leverage the strengths and resources of multiple entities to create a more robust and adaptive system for dealing with challenges, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the resilience of communities, organizations, and societies as a whole. 
  
 +===== References =====
  
  
-~~DISCUSSION|Discussion Section - PAGE OWNER: Klaus Kubeczko~~