With all the stimulus money (and press) focused on smart meters last year, you might think AMI is the only way to start a Smart Grid initiative. But Jesse Berst points to evidence the tide is turning and that grid applications may prove the quickest way for some utilities to demonstrate benefits. Click for his analysis.">
Click to Print This Page

Back to Article


SmartGridNews.com
The insider's guide to the modernization and automation of electric power

Are We Building the Grid @$$ Backwards?
By Jesse Berst
Jul 29, 2010 - 9:08:15 PM

.

Have we been too focused on smart meters as the best place to start Smart Grid initiatives? Should we be looking at grid applications instead (distribution automation, grid optimization, command & control, asset management, etc.)?

 

In a recent report, McKinsey & Co. suggested that the deployment of grid applications will lag 3 to 5 years behind advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).  According to McKinsey, "the benefits from AMI are relatively easier for the utility to capture."

Subscribe to our FREE eMail News Alert!
Smart Grid Newsletter (SGN) is the insider's guide to the Smart Grid revolution. It consists of a FREE bi-monthly email summary, along with a companion Web site that contains the full stories and other helpful materials.

Benefits of subscribing: SGN is the only central source for all of the news, trends, research and marketplace information relevant to grid automation. In it, you will read about cutting edge technologies; successful pioneers and how they got ahead; regulatory changes that could unleash new markets; the latest research; and new opportunities for sales of grid-related products and services.


© Copyright 2009 SmartGridNews.com