Driving forces [From the Editor]

THE ADVENT OF THE “SMART Grid” improves the ability of electricity producers and consumers to communicate with one another and to make decisions about how and when to produce and consume electric energy. This emerging technology will allow customers to shift from an event-based demand response, where the utility requests the shedding of load, towards a more 24/7-based demand response where the customer sees incentives for controlling load all the time.