Here’s one definition: “An integrated communications and power system infrastructure which allows for robust two-way communications, advanced sensors, and distributed computers to improve the efficiency, reliability and safety of power delivery and use.”

Here’s another: “The integration of communications networks with the power grid in order to create an electricity-communications superhighway capable of monitoring its own health at all times, alerting officials immediately when problems arise, and automatically taking corrective actions that enable the grid to fail gracefully and prevent a local failure from cascading out of control, as happened August 14, 2003 (The Great Northeast Blackout).”

Next to the power system the most critical infrastructure to creating a reliable high-performance Smart Grid is the communications infrastructure. (more...)