Smart Grid
Now, power companies can make smarter decisions about the grid. You can make smarter decisions about your home.
For decades, power was something the average person did not think much about.
Until it went out. And then it was all you thought about... until it came back. Not any more.
Climate change, rising energy prices and technology advances are all forces that have been reshaping the collective mindset of consumers, turning many from "passive ratepayers" to highly informed, environmentally conscious customers who want a role in using power. And now, with the emergence of the technologies that make smart grids possible, companies can provide their customers with the information and control they need to actually change their behavior patterns and reduce usage and costs.
Entering the digital age
IBM is helping utilities add a layer of digital intelligence to their grids. These smart grids use sensors, meters, digital controls and analytic tools to automate, monitor and control the two-way flow of energy across operations - from power plant to plug. A power company can optimize grid performance, prevent outages, restore outages faster and allow consumers to manage energy usage right down to the individual networked appliance.
"Smart" grids can also incorporate new sustainable energies such as wind and solar generation, and interact locally with distributed power sources, or plug-in electric vehicles.
Malta: the first smart grid country
Known for its dry sunny weather, knights and long architectural history, this Mediterranean archipelago is about to become known for something else: it's the world's first "smart grid" country.
Malta's electricity and water systems are inexorably intertwined. Malta depends entirely on foreign fuel oil for the production of all of its electricity and for more than half of its water supply, which filters through an energy-intensive desalination process.
The new smart grid, integrating both water and power systems, will be able to identify water leaks and electricity losses in the grid, allowing the utilities to more intelligently plan their investments in the network and reduce inefficiency. 250,000 interactive meters will monitor electricity usage in real time, set variable rates, and reward customers who consume less energy and water.
By addressing the issues of water and power as a system, the Maltese government can provide citizens with better information to make smarter decisions about how and when they use power - and the country can begin the task of replacing carbon-intensive fuel oil with renewable energy for the future.
We need a smarter grid
More than half the energy never reaches a single light bulb.
Consider what enlightened companies can do
Smart meters
In the GridWise Olympic Peninsula Project (US) in Washington state, intelligent devices (e.g. thermostats) in consumers' homes were tied to the grid system, which automatically controlled power consumption based on pricing signals and customer preference. Electricity bills were decreased by an average of 10 percent.
Empower customers with information
Energie Baden-Wurttemberg (US), an innovative energy provider in Germany, gives customers the pricing information they need to alter their energy consumption patterns. They consumed less power during more expensive peak hours, evening out demand.
Outsmarting outages
With smart grids, DONG Energy (US) can detect a power outage instantly, know the exact location and respond quickly to fix it.
