Electricity to power

SMART GRID

The smart network would send its data through the power network

Global electricity networks could become smart grids that can help us monitor and control our energy usage, if plans from net firm Cisco take off.

electricity map at smart grid control center photo sfnomercy

The giant US firm, whose technology helps underpin the net, is building a two-way link into electricity grids.

Smart grids would allow devices to communicate with utility firms to give an accurate view of energy use that could cut CO2 emissions by 211m tonnes

Cisco believes the market could be worth up to $20 billion a year

Smart grid technology combines automatic meter readings with data management and power technologies to improve efficiency of power networks

By improving the efficiency and monitoring of energy use, smart grid technology promises to bring the power of computing to the utility industry.

For many utiility districts, this level of management will be a huge asset as many areas are challenged by power management issues.   While there are some concerns that this technology may become sophisticated enough to monitor every flick of a switch within a household, which leads to interesting privacy issues.   Data about when people are active in a house has obvious commercial value.  Whether safeguards are in place to protect consumers against the ever increasing onslaught of corporate intrusion into their lives is unknown.