Governance Institutions for a Polycentric and Technologically Complex Electric Power Grid

This talk explores the critical question of effective governance systems for the electric power grid, presented by Lynne Kiesling (Northwestern, SFI) and Seth Blumsack (Penn State, SFI). Discover how governance systems significantly impact power grid outcomes including cost, sustainability, and reliability. Examine what makes governance systems adaptive and innovative in supporting key goals like reliability, resilience, environmental sustainability, and affordable access. Join an interdisciplinary exploration that applies complexity science and evolutionary dynamics to analyze grid governance challenges, considering concepts such as institutional fitness with changing landscapes and how layered nonlinear systems produce non-deterministic outcomes. The presentation addresses fundamental questions about institutional frameworks, functions, fitness, performance, context, and participation in polycentric governance systems for complex power grids. The discussion particularly focuses on governance in the context of dynamic technological change and how different structures can achieve broader societal goals.