Creating tomorrow´s intelligent electric power delivery system

The August 2003 blackout in Northeast U.S. and Southeast Canada was a potent wake-up call that electricity is indeed essential to our well being and economy. And it highlights one of the most fundamental of electric functions: getting electricity from the point of generation to the point of use. Power delivery has been part of the utility industry for so long that it is hard to imagine that this process has not already been optimized. However, the power delivery function is changing and growing more complex with the exciting requirements of the digital economy, the onset of competitive power markets, the implementation of modern and self generation, and the saturation of existing transmission and distribution capacity. Without accelerated investment and careful policy analysis, the vulnerabilities already present in today ´s power system will continue to degrade. Simply stated, today ´s electricity infrastructure is inadequate to meet rising consumer needs and expectations.