What's the Buzz on Smart Grids

1) How do smart grids differ from the currentelectricity infrastructure in the United States?

Current electricity grids do not provide any information about how consumers actually use energy. That makes it difficult to develop more efficient approaches to distribution. The current system offers few ways to handle power provided by alternative energy sources.Without useful information, energy companies and consumers have difficulty making good decisions about using energy wisely

A smart grid delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to

Save energy

Reduce cost

Increase reliability and transparency

The smart grid enables information to flow back and forth between electric power providers and consumers

2) What management, organization, and technology issues should be considered when developing a

smart grid?

Management: Informatıon feedback would aloow consumers to see how much energy they are consuming at any moment and how much it’s costing them. That would allow them to make beter decisions about using appliances like air conditioners and furnaces. They could potentially lower their energy bills. However, government and energy companies need to help consumers overcome the intrusive feelings associated with the technology. Dashboard monitoring software must be easy for consumers to understand and use

Organizations: There are many disincentives for energy companies associated with smart grids. Operating budgets and profits would be severely impacted if consumers greatly reduced their energy consumption. Implementation costs would be extremely high, even with federal government assistance. Consumer backlash is already evident in the few experimental cases to date. Without properly structuring the implementation, that backlash could grow against the energy companies.

Technology: Networks and switches for power management, sensor and monitoring devices to track energy usage and distribution trends; systems to provide...