Grid gets the smarts [Power Smart Grid]

The smart grid continues to evolve as the network faces the challenges of new patterns of generation. One proposal that has been championed for several decades is the Smart Grid, an often elusive concept that has remained the same despite having had to suffer numerous rebrands over the years: the intelligent grid, the self-healing grid, and soon. The essence is always the same: it is really a grid that permits network operators to maximise their assets with real-time Information, which allows them to react to changing demand and fluctuating generation patterns, as well as avoid power disruption caused by failures in part of the system. It is a transmission and distribution system that employs fledgling technologies such as real-time monitoring, autonomous control, two-way communications, smart meters and energy storage.