Design of Smart Electrical Grid Should Mirror the Internet

A posting, Smart Grid for a Smart Planet, on smartmeters.com explains why the experts designing the next generation of the electrical grid need IT smarts.

Technological advances of the modern age can take the power grid out of the dark ages and make it smart. Power grids around the world can be monitored and managed in much the same way a computer network is.

Smart meters can be applied to the power grid in a way that every aspect is constantly monitored from the point of generation, through transmission to consumers’ homes and businesses, and as it is consumed. In fact, the smart grid system would look much more like the Internet than it would resemble a conventional power system. A smart grid can handle multitudes of power sources no matter how widely distributed they are – including intermittent, but renewable, power sources such as wind turbines and solar panel arrays.

A piece of advice for IT pros: many information-tech jobs of the future will focus on battling carbon emissions and making energy use more efficient. Successful IT pros combine their IT know-how with industry knowledge, so learn more about the power generation industry and the environmental movement to cut carbon emissions.