With conversations swirling on the Hill about infrastructure and extreme weather events making headlines over the last year it is no surprise that so many news outlets and editorial boards are focusing on our need for a resilient, reliable electricity grid.

These are important conversations to elevate as the U.S. looks to not only aggressively decarbonize our electricity grid and overall our economy, but provide reliable electricity as well. The biggest question we need to address is: what exactly does an energy grid that is both reliable and carbon-free look like in the U.S. and how do we get there?

We asked experts from NEI and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) who specialize in technology, innovation, policy and more to weigh in on this very question.

Daniel Brooks is vice president of integrated grid and energy systems at EPRI, an expert on grid planning and electricity markets. Matt Crozat is senior director of strategy and policy development at NEI, who also specializes in electricity markets and clean energy policy. And Everett Redmond is NEI’s senior technical advisor for new reactors and advanced technology.

Here is what they had to say:

What is the most important factor in achieving a resilient electricity grid?

Crozat: The most important factor in building a resilient and reliable electricity grid as we transition to a low carbon system is to create the long-term incentives to deploy the mix of technologies that we will need. Without a clear signal, there is no reason to expect these power plants to be on hand when future crises arrive.

Brooks: A necessary starting point is that we develop consensus across regulators, utilities, system operators, public representatives and other stakeholders on how we define resilience, establish targets for the level of resiliency required, and develop the planning processes and tools required to influence optimal investment decisions.

Redmond: I think the most important factor is long-term planning and planning for the extreme peaks, which may only occur once every year or every few years. If the grid is unable to handle these peaks, the electricity will go out and the impacts will be economic and potentially loss of life. All of which is unacceptable.

How important is having a diverse energy portfolio?

Crozat: We will need our portfolio of electricity generators to include some technologies that can provide power when conditions are not favorable. Nuclear energy can provide this as could other technologies such as fossil-fueled plants with carbon capture and storage or long-term electricity storage that is still being developed.

Brooks: With more of the economy dependent on the grid, reliability and resiliency must increase. This will require changing the way we plan and operate the grid. It will also require dispatchable resources with firm energy supply, such as nuclear, natural gas with carbon capture, battery storage and flexible demand.

What needs to be prioritized when thinking about the future grid?

Brooks: While there are certainly regional differences, common needs include new planning methods that consider the impacts of changing extreme weather events, methods for hardening supply and delivery assets to future climate regimes, long-distance transmission to access diverse resources, modernizing the grid to manage the transition from completely centralized generation to integrate distributed generation, and operating grids with high levels of variable renewables that interconnect to the grid through electronic devices.

How can energy innovation help make our grid more resilient?

Redmond: Innovation is key in every sector and energy is not an exception. As we continue to add clean energy sources at an increased pace, especially intermittent renewable sources, the electric grid operation will become more complex. Advanced reactors, and the existing fleet, bring a resilient and reliable 24/7 generation source to the grid which is important for stability.

A Clean, Reliable Grid Will Take All Carbon-Free Sources, Including Nuclear

Journalists are connecting the dots between reaching our climate goals with carbon-free energy and the need for a reliable and resilient electricity system. As our experts have shared, our success in this effort will come down to the policy decisions we make and whether we are committed to valuing a diverse portfolio of clean energy options, including our largest provider of carbon-free energy, nuclear.