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By Jesse Berst

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The Advanced Smart Grid by Andres Carvallo and John Cooper (Artech House, 2011)

Far and away the best book yet about the smart grid. Just the right blend between theory and practice. Although I could quibble about some of the nomenclature (what the authors call smart grid 3.0 I call smart city), I am in close agreement with the core concepts. I especially appreciate the way the authors talk not just about what smart grid is today, but also about what it could and should be tomorrow. And about why and how to start with a solid foundation capable of carrying the weight of those larger ambitions. Must reading.

Buy "The Advanced Smart Grid" at Amazon.com >>

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David Masters, Duke Energy manager of technology development, explains in this white paper how, after evaluating communications systems deployed by other utilities and industries, Duke determined that the solutions offered would not fulfill their key drivers or meet their requirements. It's an approachable, well-written and illustrated explanation of the direction one of the country's leading utilities is moving in the all-important communications arena – and why.

Download the white paper >>

Surprising Deployment Developments by Peter Fox-Penner (IEEE newsletter)

Writing in the August issue of the IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter, electric power industry expert Peter Fox-Penner highlights two interesting and as he puts it, "startling" trends in the smart grid industry. The first is the role of cooperatives as leader and innovator. Fox-Penner notes that half of all cooperatives offer their customers AMI or AMR and, get this, he says together they generate 25% of the peak load reduction in the U.S. even though they account for only 10% of electricity sales. Startling trend number two has to do with the rise and fall of dynamic pricing in the U.S. It's a short, interesting piece by someone worth paying attention to.

Read the article >>

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