The Architecture of Electricity Is Evolving, Albeit Gradually

The basic architecture of distributing electricity to end consumers has changed little during the past 100 years. Still, technologies have slowly evolved over time, and in the last decade the concept of a smart grid has emerged.

While there are different definitions for the concept, a smart grid basically allows different parts of the power grid to communicate with one another. It is machine to machine communication, channeled through the Internet or another conduit, optimizing the grid's performance. Similar communication already exists on a smaller scale, but smart grids would connect more devices — from washing machines to toasters — allowing them to communicate.