Article review: Power to the people – by Brendan I. Koener

In the April 2009 issue of Wired Magazine, Koerner writes a good article about the state of our electric grid and what we can do about it. He starts out with a nice review of history and then describes the incentives that are in place that have kept electric companies from actively upgrading their infrastructure. The proposed grid “2.0″ isn’t too new of a concept. The basic idea is to make the grid smarter and more Internet like. Instead of a one-to-many broadcast system the grid would be made to accept inputs from localized micro producers (like a house with a solar panel on the roof and a few kilowatts to spare). So the power would flow bidirectiomally rather than in just one direction. This grid would also have sensors that would serve to make us smarter consumers of power. The article also outlines seven specific ways that we could move toward such a smart grid. A good read all around and a great introduction to the next generation of power needs.

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