The US is at a point of historic transformation of the electric grid infrastructure. Implementing the smart grid on a national scale poses significant challenges—and opportunities—both for projects selected for a US Department of Energy (DOE) Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG), and for those moving ahead with projects without grant funding.

As the US makes the largest single investment in grid modernization in its history, how well equipped the nation is to further energy efficiency, reduce energy bills and strengthen system reliability depends, in part, on the quality of consumer end-use information.

As utilities go before regulators in upcoming rate cases, asset management and smart grid efforts will overlap – and sometimes compete. While it makes sense to replace an aging infrastructure with more intelligent equipment that builds out the smart grid, companies must also decide if they will spend investment dollars to replace aging assets or [...]

Electric utility distribution systems looked and operated much the same for decades. But that’s been changing of late. Consumers, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders are demanding more in power quality, service reliability, consideration of environmental issues, and cost savings. Smart grid devices hold promise of new answers—and they’ll have an impact on electric utility distribution [...]