Targeting the Customer

摘要

Smart meters and demand response are adding intelligence to the smart grid. One of the most controversial issues within the electric power industry today is how does a utility keep up with the customer's growing power demand? It is a timely discussion - even though energy usage has dropped the last few years - because of the recession. The recession is a short-term condition that will be forgotten as the economy recovers. In the long term, a study by the Battelle Memorial Institute projects world demand for electricity will increase nearly 44% between now and 2030. The study anticipates electrical demand in North America will increase by about 26% during the same time period. Utilities are keenly aware there is a problem. A large portion of existing infrastructure has aged well beyond its expected lifetime. Depending on the expert quoted, hundreds of billions of dollars and euros are needed for new facilities to meet the demand worldwide. Utilities cannot build their way out of this problem. There is not enough time, money or motivation, but there is a solution.