Smart Energy

Smart energy refers to the application of a broad range of new information and communications technologies to provide a more reliable and more efficient electric grid. The product of these efforts is commonly referred to as the “smart grid.” As currently envisioned, the transition to a smart grid system will require a dramatic shift from our [Page 448]long-standing “centralized, producer-controlled network to one that is less centralized and more consumer-interactive,” according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The process is likely to draw from many of the same philosophies, concepts, and technologies that enabled the Internet.

Strategically placed commercial wind generators use wind to supplement or substitute for generated power

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The development of the smart grid will be a vastly complex under ...