Evolving energy enterprise-"grand challenges": possible road ahead and challenges for R&D

A new mega-infrastructure is emerging from the convergence of energy (including the electric grid, water, oil and gas pipelines), telecommunications, transportation, Internet and electronic commerce. Furthermore, in the electric power industry and other critical infrastructures, new ways are being sought to improve network efficiency and eliminate congestion problems without seriously diminishing reliability and security. From a viewpoint of strategic research and development, there are many scientific and technological challenges posed by the lack of a unified framework with robust tools for monitoring, modeling, simulation, control and optimization of time-critical operations in hybrid, complex, distributed and interactive networks with multi-scale and multiple components. Secure and reliable operation of complex energy supply and delivery networks poses significant theoretical and practical challenges in sensing, communications, analysis, modeling, simulation, prediction, control, optimization, operations and management.