Integration of smart grid devices, and other new and emerging technologies reliant on communications to control operations of the device pose a threat to the reliability of the electric grid, according to a new report released by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Providing a 10-year outlook on the North American electric industry, the new '2011 Long Term Reliability Assessment' report released by NERC evaluates key reliability indicators and dives into the impact of regulations and other issues on bulk power system reliability. The key issues discussed in the report were: the decrease in projected generation resources; the growing dependence on natural gas as a primary fuel source of on-peak capacity; the increased demand for integrating and delivering new resources and the subsequent growth of transmission; and the cumulative effect from environmental regulations may reduce reserve margins in ways that could affect bulk power system reliability, depending on the scope and timing of final regulation implementation.
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