The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) has commissioned the development of a 48-page book that describes the need for, and vision of, a smart grid for America. The Smart Grid: An Introduction is the first publication to outline the promise and power of a smarter grid in layman's terms, defining it as an enabling engine that positively addresses every relevant issue, from reliability and affordability to consumer choice and climate change.
The Smart Grid: An Introduction tells this complex story as simply as possible, addressing a range of smart grid topics, offering a comprehensive view of the nation's electrical grid as it now exists, a clarification of what a Smart Grid is--and is not--and a vision of what America's Smart Grid may be. Also discussed is how various public and private sector constituencies - utilities, regulators, consumers and the like - are preparing for the Smart Grid.
"The Smart Grid is envisioned as including a wide array of tools, techniques and information technologies that will ultimately revolutionize all facets of electricity generation, transmission and distribution," said Mark Litos, president of Litos.
As the book points out, the benefits of a Smart Grid are myriad, including greater reliability and affordability of electric power, enhanced efficiency in the way energy can be stored until needed, and greater grid security. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are better able to be exploited with the Smart Grid.
More complete integration of distributed energy and demand-side management resources into the distribution system could, according to the book, enable customers to implement their own tailored solutions, thus boosting business profitability, for example.
The book will be distributed to a wide range of utility executives, energy experts, environmental and business leaders, policy makers and influencers of every stripe. A PDF version of the book can be found on www.greentechmarketing.com.
Congress enacted the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) last year. Title XIII of the legislation established Federal policy to support the development of the Smart Grid and called for DOE, among other things, to ensure awareness of Smart Grid concepts, technologies and practices, leading to the publication of the book.
The Smart Grid: An Introduction was principally written, edited and designed by Litos Strategic Communication, under contract No. DE-AC26-04NT41817, Subtask 560.01.04.