Knowledge Problem

Power Security

Business Week recently ran an article on power grid cybersecurity. Security is one reason why regulation based on natural monopoly theory, which contends that duplication of infrastructure is unnecessarily wasteful, overlooks the benefits of redundant systems. Redundancy need not mean duplicate grid infrastructures, but can involve substituting other means of getting power, such as distributed generation. I first argued this point in a RPPI.org commentary in November 2001.