Friday, February 12, 2021 - 1:11 pm CANTON -- A SUNY Canton associate professor is studying blackouts to help keep companies out of the red. In "Electric Power Grid Disruptions: A Time Series Examination" Kumar teamed up with his colleague and former SUNY Canton faculty member Brian K. Harte to explore the causes and effects of power failures. The paper was recently published in the Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy. The two researchers noted that the ability to maintain an efficient and protected electrical power grid is essential to support critical infrastructure. A national electric grid with many aging, legacy components has raised questions regarding whether or not substantial improvement investments are necessary. Unless properly configured, growing demand on electricity supplies from renewable energy sources like wind and solar power can increase grid instability. Extreme weather events driven by climate change may also heighten the risk of future grid impairment, according to the in-depth paper.