A more intelligent power grid is on the horizon

Imagine going to the gas station to fill up your car. You fill your tank but there is nothing on the pump to tell you the price per gallon or how many gallons you put in your tank. Instead of paying right there, you drive away and the oil company sends you a bill at the end of the month. By the time you know that price has gone up, you have already bought and used the gas … and now you just have to pay for it. Not a very consumer-friendly way to do business.

Unfortunately, that is exactly how electric utilities work. The sad truth is that the electric grid in the U.S. is aging and based on a business model from a bygone era. If Thomas Edison came back to life today he would know and understand all of the basic pieces of the U.S. electric grid. Compare that to the telecommunications industry. It’s a safe bet that Alexander Graham Bell would be astonished by cell phones, the Internet, and most other advancements we have seen in telecommunications.

By KEN TOOLE

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