Having a reliable supply of energy is more than just a convenience. It’s a necessity. Our economy—and our way of life—depend on it. For most of us, reliability means knowing the lights will come on when you flip the switch. It also means we’re able to power our businesses and keep America’s economy working.
Our nationwide energy infrastructure is a large, complex system that consists of generation, transmission, and distribution systems. The most important single factor is the coordination between the many energy companies that make up this vast network, working together to ensure reliability.
Demands for energy continue to grow, and with that comes increased strain on our infrastructure. Technological advances are helping us to develop new, innovative ways of managing the network—from smart energy use sensors that help consumers manage their individual use, to sophisticated systems that can detect issues so that they are identified and addressed before businesses and homes even realize there’s a problem.
America’s energy companies are governed by an independent, self-regulating entity called the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO), which enforces reliability rules on the users, owners, and operators of the energy transmission system. The electric power industry is the only industry that has mandatory reliability requirements.