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Quick Take: Rick Nicholson correctly points out that our long-term future is what I will call "federated microgrids." Many small to mid-sized microgrids trading power back and forth and islanding themselves when needed due to outages in the main grid.

But that future is a long ways away – probably two decades until full build out. There is much the smart grid can do for us in the meantime. Things that can occur even if big sections of the grid are out of commission. Here are just four ways that occur to me. Please use the TalkBack form below to suggest others.

• Self-healing technologies can isolate small problems before they become big ones
• Last-gasp messages from smart meters can give the utility a much better idea where the outage is centered
• Automated systems can deliver outage and restoration notifications via text message, email, fax, or recorded voice (and keep trying until systems are restored
• Storm progress Web sites where residents can see exactly what's going on (check out Long Island Power Authority for a great example at lipower.org/stormcenter)  - By Jesse Berst

One striking example he cites is Pepco, the utility that serves the Washington, D.C. area. The utility was using smart meters to more quickly pinpoint outages and to verify that power had been restored. He points out the obvious to make his case: You need an electric grid to do that, and large chunks of the grid in New York and New Jersey were torn apart – and communications networks, a smart grid foundation, can also be knocked out by big storms.

All of those circumstances lead Nicholson to ask "When it comes to severe weather events, are our smart grid hopes misplaced?"

He answers his own question: "I think the answer lies in a much greater use of distributed energy resources integrated as part of smart buildings and community micro-grids." He refers to examples such as combined heat and power plants, fuel cells and micro-turbines which he says are becoming more competitive with grid-provided power in terms of both cost and reliability. He also recommends fueling them with natural gas because it produces fewer emissions than diesel standby generation and adds that gas lines are more able to stand up to storms.

You will doubtless be reading more analyses, recommendations and opinions on the issue for some time. We thought you would be interested in this one. And we hope Nicholson's observations and recommendations, as well as our take on this perplexing issue, will generate even more discussion.

Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com, the industry's oldest and largest smart grid site. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the U.S. and abroad, he also serves on advisory committees for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Institute for Electric Efficiency. He often provides strategic consulting to large corporations and venture-backed startups. He is a member of the advisory boards of GridGlo and Calico Energy Services.