Transforming the U.S. electricity system

The smart electric power grid of the future will integrate the traditional elements of supply and demand, transmission and distribution with new technologies such as superconductors, energy storage, customer load management, and distributed generation, using information to make them function as a "society" of devices in a complex, integrated system. The vision for transforming the nation's electric system-from central generation down to customer appliances and equipment-into a collaborative network filled with information and a myriad of market-based opportunities-is being put forward by leading thinkers in the U.S Department of Energy, national laboratories, and industry as a major scientific and engineering challenge for the nation and as an important economic value proposition for ratepayers and the electric industry. An overview of this vision and some illustrative examples are the subjects of this paper.