Pitt Faculty Expert Available to Comment on Power Outages Caused by Hurricane Sandy

PITTSBURGH—As Hurricane Sandy barrels across the East Coast, utility companies are poised to respond to millions of power outages that could occur throughout this week and potentially during Election Day. Concentrated in the nation’s most heavily populated corridor, the hurricane is expected to mix with a winter storm in the Northeast to create what meteorologists have dubbed a “Frankenstorm” that could affect 50 million people, threatening the nation’s power grid as well.

“Even though the nation’s power distribution grid is relatively stable, it is no match for a storm as powerful as Hurricane Sandy,” said University of Pittsburgh faculty member Gregory Reed, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Electric Power Initiative in the Center for Energy of Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering. “Especially when you consider that major metropolitan sectors along the East Coast will be in its path, there is the potential for significant power failures affecting tens of millions of people. Storms of this magnitude can help us identify weak points in the grid and strengthen them against future events,” Reed added.

Reed is available to comment on the U.S. power grid as it relates to energy, infrastructure, and economic value. He is also able to comment on the following issues:

• Power electronics (FACTS, HVDC) and control technologies;
• Renewable energy systems and integration;
• Smart grid technologies and applications;
• Direct Current (DC) technology and research;
• Energy storage systems and developments;
• Energy efficiency and energy management; and
• Power quality.

Reed may be reached at (412) 389-7503 or gfr3@pitt.edu.

Reed has more than 27 years of combined industry and academic experience in the electric power and energy arena—including engineering, R&D, and executive management positions throughout his career with Consolidated Edison of New York Inc., ABB Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., and DNV-KEMA Inc. He has authored or co-authored more than 75 papers and technical articles in the areas of electric power system analysis, the applications of advanced power systems and power electronics technologies, and power engineering education. In his roles at Pitt, Reed is responsible for providing the vision and leadership for the multidisciplinary activities of the electric power engineering program’s educational, research, and outreach components. 

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10/29/12/mab/cjhm