Energy and Water Resilience Readiness Exercise Planning: Strategies for Preparing for the Worst

Course Description

Energy and water systems are the foundation of modern life. When they fail, communities suffer. When disasters strike, the consequences can be devastating. Yet too often, infrastructure planning begins only after the crisis. This course will explore how proactive resilience planning can transform infrastructure design, turning vulnerability into strength through strategic combinations of technology, data, and preparedness.

You'll examine microgrids not as abstract concepts, but as deployed systems keeping hospitals powered and isolated communities connected. You'll analyze case studies, from Hurricane Maria's aftermath in Puerto Rico to functioning microgrids in Cordova, Alaska and Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. And you'll learn how black start exercises and tabletop simulations test emergency response plans before lives depend on them.

As you progress through each lesson, you'll confront real questions that engineers face:

How do we balance upfront costs against long-term resilience?

What responsibilities do we hold when designing systems that protect—or fail—entire communities?

You'll explore the interconnected nature of energy and water infrastructure, discovering why planning for one without the other leaves critical gaps. You'll evaluate solutions like smart meters, battery storage, and infrastructure hardening. And you'll develop the judgment needed to create resilience plans that protect communities, ensure continuity during disruptions, and strengthen infrastructure sustainability for future generations.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify and apply the strategies required to proactively plan for readiness and resilience in critical energy and water infrastructure.

2. Describe the concept of microgrids beyond the surface-level understanding as a sustainable strategy for energy and water resilience.

3. Evaluate the process of testing an emergency response plan to inform refinement and changes to an entity’s resilience strategy through lessons learned.

4. Analyze a real-world case study to showcase how effective planning can be used to strengthen the sustainability of our energy and water infrastructure.