Monday, December 28, 2009

Why a Smart Grid and why now?

The growing interest and media coverage around the smart grid has led a number of people inquiring about what the buzz is all about, why is the smart grid so important and why now?

This topic is very large to be covered in one blog post, but to give as broad of an overview as possible; here is why the smart grid is important.

- The cost of energy is rising and there is no turning back

- Natural energy resources are limited and are being depleted

- The power grid is over 100 years old and is in dire need for an upgrade

- Carbon emission and environmental hazards are going to cause a greater strain on the already tight energy crisis

- The population is growing and so is the demand of energy

These are some of the energy challenges we face today. The above seem like an amalgamation of all the fears bunched into one single paragraph but with the existing technology and research being conducted they are not insurmountable. Can a smart interconnected power grid solve all problems? No, but it is one of the most critical components to tackling all these challenges. It helps us address all of the above and gives us greater insight into how we can address and come together to resolve them. The smart grid is just one of piece of the puzzle.

An intelligent interconnected power grid offers stakeholders and consumers the ability to manage energy with real-time data, utilities can now deploy energy efficient programs with more insight into customer usage and based on the cost of electricity. A smart grid will make renewable energy apart of everyday life by integrating wind and solar power with the grid. Parks Associates’ Smart Energy Summit will include leading smart grid experts who will share their thoughts on the development of the smart grid and what we can expect.

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