Background

The smart grid is a collection of energy control and monitoring devices, software, networking, and communications infrastructure that delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to save energy and costs. Some of the key elements to the smart grid include: intelligence networks, in-home devices, and grid monitoring and control devices.

• Intelligence networks operate with two-way “internet like” networking equipment and software, usually using wireless communications. The network would extend from inside the home to the electric meter or power pole outside the home, through a series of data concentrators, and eventually through the internet.
• In-home devices, such as smart thermostats, that can be adjusted remotely by the utility or the consumer to save energy during peak hours of energy use. In-home energy displays can also be used to notify customers of their energy usage and cost in real-time.
• Grid monitoring and control devices allow better coordination of the grid in response to renewable resources, solar, and distributed generation. Some of these devices would include transformer monitors and voltage sensors. They could also help provide faster response time to power outages.

Some of the benefits of this modern technology include: ability to reduce power consumption on the consumer side during peak hours, incorporating grid energy storage for distributed generation load balancing, and eliminating or containing power failures. Increasing efficiency and reliability of a “smart grid” would save consumers money and help reduce carbon dioxide and emissions.

Additional Resources:
Department of Energy – Smart Grid
Smart Grid News