Engineering Resilient Power Systems-of-Systems Under the Green Transition: Architectural, Operational, and Market Challenges
Session Organizers: Srđan Skok, Renata Rubeša, Dubravko Sabolić
Topics of Interest:
The proposed session adopts a broad systems definition of energy sustainability, encompassing not only decarbonization, but also reliability, resilience, adequacy, and societal confidence in electricity supply. Particular emphasis is placed on identifying architectural, operational, and regulatory measures that can mitigate declining robustness and reduce blackout risk during the transition. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Systems thinking approaches to resilience in large-scale power systems-of-systems
Architectural evolution of converter-dominated and digitally mediated grids
Emergent behavior and cascading mechanisms in highly interconnected infrastructures
Cross-layer interactions between physical infrastructure, digital control systems, and market design
Risk assessment, dynamic security assessment, and system-level modeling and simulation
Integration verification and validation challenges in low-inertia environments
Enhanced inertia and system strength management strategies
Grid-forming and advanced converter control concepts
Improved protection coordination and fault behavior in power-electronic-dominated systems
Evolution of grid codes and connection requirements
Market designs that better reflect physical system needs and resilience attributes
Technical–economic coupling and incentive alignment in liberalized electricity markets
Strengthened regional coordination, cross-border system-of-systems governance, and emergency response mechanisms
The dual role of large digital loads, including data centers, as flexibility providers and potential risk amplifiers
Through moderated expert panels and structured discussion, the session aims to foster technically rigorous dialogue among system operators, regulators, researchers, and industry stakeholders. By drawing lessons from recent European and global disturbances, the event seeks to identify practical systems-engineering pathways to restore and maintain resilience while enabling the continued transition toward a low-carbon power system.
Strategic Management of Complex and Regulated Systems: Interplay of Market and Non- Market Forces
Session Organizers: Murat Akpinar, Dubravko Sabolić
Topics of Interest:
Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
Strategic management in complex, regulated, or institutionally constrained systems
Interplay of market and non-market forces in system-level decision-making
Strategy under regulatory dominance, policy uncertainty, or societal pressure
Power, dependence, and institutional dynamics in systems-of-systems
Strategic roles of system operators, integrators, and infrastructure owners
Coopetition, coordination, and conflict in socio-technical ecosystems
Rival claimants to economic or social surplus within engineered systems
Long-term investment strategies under regulatory and political risk
Strategic responses to decarbonization, digitalization, or resilience mandates
Governance and strategic alignment in public-interest and infrastructure systems
Adaptation of classical strategy frameworks for systems engineering contexts
Both empirical and conceptual papers are welcome, including case studies, comparative analyses, methodological contributions, and theoretically grounded reflections.
Cybernetic Governance and Viable Systems: Engineering Resilience in Complex Systems-of-Systems
Session Organizers: Francesco Caputo, Igor Perko, Alfonso Reyes Alvarado
Topics of Interest:
Theoretical Foundations of Viability: Exploring how systems thinking and cybernetic feedback loops can strengthen the theoretical foundations of Systems Engineering and improve the benefits of systems thinking and collective intelligence mechanisms in industrial applications.
Governing systems of systems (SoS): Applying cybernetic control models to manage the autonomy and coordination required in the ‘system of systems’ environment.
Engineering for resilience and survival: Using the principles of systems thinking to design cybersystemic organizations that can maintain core functions amidst environmental shifts and disruptions.
Viable Management Systems: Integrating systems thinking into management systems and program/project management to improve organisational agility and decision-making.
Socio-technical cybernetics: Analysing the societal and political impacts of systems and human systems integration through the lens of holistic systems theory to ensure ethical and sustainable system design.
Governance of Distributed Autonomy: Building cybersystemic structures that balance individual component autonomy with the collective goals of the total system.