Effective system restoration is an important step toward a self-healing smart grid. in the future energy paradigm, with a high penetration of renewable resources and responsive demands, variability and uncertainty will affect power system operating and recovery technologies. Smart restoration provides an adaptive and optimized strategy with which to make restoration decisions, one that will reduce restoration time while maintaining system integrity. With the implementation of such decision support tools, the power grid will be better prepared and equipped to handle extreme events. They enable the streamlining of communication among all stakeholders, and they preserve knowledge and experience for future engineers.