There has been a longstanding interest to making U.S. critical infrastructure more robust and resistant to natural hazards and cyberattack.  Problems with a power grid when there is a disturbance can range from voltage and frequency fluctuations to total catastrophic failure.  One solution is to look to large residential and commercial electrical loads—such as plug-in electric vehicles (EVs), water heaters, refrigerators, air conditioners, and pool pumps—that could potentially be interrupted or engaged for brief periods without burdening the customer. These loads can be interrupted during periods of under-generation or can be engaged during periods of over-generation to help balance supply and demand.

Presently, many utilities have centrally controlled demand response programs for air conditioners that can be called upon to reduce load. However, these programs require active intervention by grid operators, and they do not address anomalies at the distribution level. In addition, increasing deployment of intermittent renewable generation is increasing uncertainty and variability in grid operations. LLNL researchers have recognized that this increase in uncertainty and variability would require additional capabilities to maintain stable operation of the grid.