Everything falls into line on a smart grid

You don't have to work in technology to know how over worked the word 'smart' has become...and how often it signifies very little.

But the worldwide buzz on 'smart grids' is something else entirely and if done right would deliver incredible cost, energy and greenhouse gas savings.

Smart electricity grids are built around the notion of active management and communication of distributed energy over technologies like internet protocol or IP.

A consumer in a smart grid would not only be able to read real time energy use information, but also link appliances so that home networks - and ultimately utility companies - could calibrate consumption to reflect changing costs, needs and conditions.

And the prerequisites for this beautiful energy vision are quickly falling into place.

Not only will broadband soon be in every Australian home - especially if the long promised National Broadband Network does ever get off the media release page - but the so-called 'smart meters' will be too.

The massive replacement of home meters over the next few years is an event that doesn't happen very often. But there's a real danger that we're missing a much bigger opportunity to invest and reform the whole energy sector.

With electricity consumption predicted to double in roughly a decade - and approximately 40% of world CO2 emissions coming from its generation - we also face the crisis necessary to push us along.

Voices demanding investment in smart grids are now being heard all over the world and I'd also like to add mine.

John Fennell
jjfennell@copperdev.com