There is an urgent need for the development of innovative methods and conceptual frameworks for analysis, planning, and operation of complex, efficient, and secure electric power networks. If this need is to be met and sustained, then there must be appropriate resources developed and available to teach those who will design, develop, and operate those networks. Hence, pedagogy and curricular improvement must be an integrated component of this activity's evolution. The U.S. depends on electric power – power that is provided through networks that may be as small as a ship or as large as a regional power grid. The next generation of high-performance dynamic and adaptive nonlinear networks, of which power systems are an integral application, will be designed and upgraded with interdisciplinary knowledge for achieving improved survivability, security, reliability, reconfigurability and efficiency.

The NSF/ONR Partnership in Electric Power Networks Efficiency and Security (EPNES) invites proposals to advance electric power networks using systems theory, economics principles, and environmental science. Increasing interest in power engineering education and addressing workforce issues in the deregulated power industry necessitates an interdisciplinary research-based curriculum that prepares engineers, economists, and scientists to plan and operate networks. To accomplish this goal, it must be recognized that these networks are socio-technical systems, meaning that successful functioning depends as much upon social factors as upon technical characteristics. They are a key component of larger efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth on a global scale. The continued security of electric power networks can be compromised not only by technical breakdowns, but also by deliberate sabotage, misguided economic incentives, regulatory difficulties, the shortage of energy production and transmission facilities, and the lack of appropriately trained engineers, scientists and operations personnel.

Addressing these issues requires proposals to engage an interdisciplinary approach, involving engineering, technical and social and economic research. EPNES proposals must also integrate pedagogy and curricular improvement as an evolving component of the activity. NSF seeks to fund research activities that ensure electric power in the U.S. will be continuously available, reasonably priced, and have minimal deleterious environmental impacts. It is hoped that a convergence of socio-economic principles with new system theories and computational methods for systems analysis will lead to development of a more efficient, robust, and secure distributed network system. Proposals responding to this solicitation must (1) plan for testing and refining new concepts and principles against benchmark test system problems (as defined in the topical areas, below); and (2) include major connections to market economics, such as global sustainability.

Proposals submitted under this program solicitation must incorporate concepts that are general enough to test on standard civilian and/or military grand challenge problems. Navy test beds will be provided by the Navy (see detailed description in topical area E, below). The civilian grand challenge problem should be a realistic test bed such as those provided by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) or a credible utility company.

This solicitation seeks to obtain major advances in the integration of new concepts in control, modeling, component technology, social and economics theories for electrical power networks' efficiency and security. It also encourages development of new interdisciplinary research-based curriculum and pedagogy that will motivate students' learning and increase their retention across affected disciplines. Research should be carried out in interdisciplinary groups with the objective of generating new concepts and approaches stimulated by the interaction of diverse disciplines. Proposals offering incremental advances of existing technologies are discouraged. Proposals should include interdisciplinary research teams of engineers, scientists, social scientists, economists, and environmental experts as appropriate to the work proposed. 

• Advanced Systems Theory: Advanced theories and computer-aided modeling tools to substantiate complex modeling and simulation, advanced adaptive control theory, and intelligent-distributed learning agents with relevant controls for optimal handling of systems complexity and uncertainty.    

• Robust Systems Architectures and Configurations: Advanced analytical methods and tools for optimizing and testing configurations of functional elements/architectures to include control of power electronics and systems components, complexity analysis, time-domain simulation, dynamic priority load shedding for survivability, and gaming strategies under uncertainties.    

• Security and High-Confidence Systems Architecture: New techniques and innovative tools for fault-tolerant and self-healing networks, situational awareness smart sensors, and analysis of structural changes. Applications include adaptive control algorithms, systems and component security, and damage control systems for continuity of service during major disruptions.

• Regulatory Constraints and Incentives: New research ideas that explore the influence of regulations on the economics of electric networks.

• Risk Assessment, Risk Perceptions, and Risk Management: Novel methods and applications for linking technical risk assessments, public risk perceptions, and risk management decisions.

• Public Perceptions, Consumer Behavior, and Public Information: Innovative approaches that improve public perception of electric power systems through increased publicity and education about the electric power networks.

• Environmental Systems and Control: Innovative environmental sensing techniques for system operation and maintenance, improvements in emission control technologies, and/or network operation for minimization of environmental impact, among others.  For proposals responding to this topical area, the interplay of these factors with the other topics in this solicitation is a requirement.

• Technology for Global Sustainability: Cross-disciplinary efforts, which contribute, to the resource and environments transitions need to ensure long-term sustainability of global economic growth.

• New Curricula and Pedagogy: Innovative and integrated curricula and pedagogy incorporating application of advanced system theory, economics, and other social science perspectives, as well as environmental science, policy, and technical issues in research and curriculum are desirable. New and innovative curriculum paradigms to help excite students and faculty, and better prepare the workforce for the power industry of the future is also desirable. Pedagogy and curricula must be developed at the undergraduate and graduate students level.

• Benchmark Test Systems: Validation of models, advanced theories, algorithms, numerical and computational efficiency, distributed learning agents, robust situational awareness for hierarchical and/or decentralized systems, adaptive controls, self-healing networks, and continuity of service despite faults. Representative test beds will be available from the site: http://www.cesac.howard.edu/ and in particular, from: the United States Naval Academy, http://www.usna.edu/EPNES for proposals relating to the Naval ship baseline system architecture.