Illuminating The History Behind America’s Power Grid: A Marvel Of Engineering – SlashGear

Massive construction efforts have often been the focus of public-facing reporting on the electricity grid. These headline magnets offer dramatic figures for homes powered—and in the case of renewables: Carbon reduction metrics. But a huge component of the U.S. power grid remains a silent facet of the infrastructure. The defensive capabilities of the grid and those who guard it is a truly staggering responsibility. Natural disasters can knock out power for days or weeks at a time, leaving homes and families vulnerable to the elements and more. Energy defense and recovery efforts focus on restoring power in the event of a system failure, but their primary roles are aimed at something more sinister. Just as the military, Intelligence Community, and other organizations prepare to defend the homeland against the threat of attack, there are public servants out there who spend their days guarding the power grid against similar incursions.

In 2015, a testing team working with authorities was able to successfully gain access to control for north Seattle’s electrical systems in just 22 minutes. Power system sabotage has been a highlight of both clandestine and overt battle strategies for as long as electricity has provided material support to populations and their militaries. Ukraine has accused Russia of hacking its power grid in the past, and the 2006 invasion of Lebanon showcased this strategy as Israeli air assets pummeled Lebanese power stations, bridges, and other infrastructure.