BUS604: Innovation and Sustainability

What will be the architecture of the future electric grid? We know that micro grids will minimize the demands on the transmission and bulk generation systems and manage production and consumption of local energy. We know that super grids have to be adjusted to meet the generation of sustainable energy at the distribution level. We also know that smart grids will connect micro grids and super grids to accommodate and balance demand and supply at the local, national and supranational level. Finally, we have a much more complex set of requirements that have to be met by all agents and sub-systems in order to operate the electric grid of the future in a stable and sustainable way.

Despite all this know-how, the best answer to the question "What will be the architecture of the future?" is: nobody knows which is the best model or framework. Another more probable and adequate answer to this question will be: the architecture of the electrical system of the future will not be designed at once but will evolve over many years from today's infrastructure through the deployment and integration of intelligent systems, through the development and implementation of new devices and components, and through political decisions and actions.

It may be that the key decision parameter in the development of smart grids is the perception of the climate risk. A global awareness of the threat of increasing CO₂ in the atmosphere could facilitate the development of renew- able sources and the enormous possibilities of energy saving. If so, smart grids should be adapted to the new habits of the population.