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Getting Smart
In one form or the other, the smart grid represents the next generation of the electric network. Digitization of the delivery business is one of the last remaining fundamental technology revolutions across major industries, and a confluence of external events and innovations are making it a real possibility. Long-time skeptics of high-tech investment for “dumb old wires” have mellowed: The issues are no longer whether and why, but when and how. Getting these last two questions right is the order of the day for utility executives, and it is time to map out what will shape the prudent answer for each utility.
The industry focus is shifting from simple justification of advanced metering in demand response (DR), asset management, and system reliability. But it is uncertain how the smart grid will ultimately manifest itself—how much functionality, applied to what applications, and how quickly. The smart grid is becoming analogous to what carbon dioxide compliance and new low-emission generating technologies are to the generation sector—industry redefining concepts promising long sought-after benefit on the surface but innumerable exposures below the waterline. These initiatives both apply new and often unproven technologies, require billions of dollars of new investment, and rely on customer and regulatory acceptance.
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