White Papers

Making Smart Grid a Reality

Tim Gunter, Vice President, North Highland
Ian McRae, Partner, LiTMUS
Gus Van Leerdam, Advisor, Twynstra Gudde

What is Smart Grid? While a common definition is emerging, its application varies widely from one power company to the next. For many utilities, the scope of what they include in their Smart Grid-related initiatives ranges from modest infrastructure upgrades to a broad “smart energy” program incorporating increased use of renewable sources, upgrades to customer support, and development of new energy products and services.

Even with measured steps, the Smart Grid is an expensive undertaking. The power delivery industry is expected to invest more than $150 billion in the United States alone to develop and deploy intelligence in its distribution networks.

If you develop a Smart Grid strategy, cover the fundamental bases of any large change initiative, and focus on quick hits while prioritizing higher return applications and services, you can achieve remarkable results with your program. These best practices will help you take the evolutionary steps necessary to make Smart Grid a reality and set the stage for conducting business in innovative and transformative ways in the future.