In the modern age, electricity is perhaps the most widely used form of energy and its demand—domestic and global—is growing continuously at a fast pace.
However, the widespread use of electricity also leads to increased carbon dioxide emissions and in the process a significant contributor to climate change. In this context, it is important that electricity and its distribution mechanisms undergo adjustments and modifications to balance the demand for power and at the same time, reduce the impact on the climate. Atanu Dasgupta, in this article, describes the smart grid as an evolved grid system that manages electricity demand in a sustainable, reliable, and economic manner, built on advanced infrastructure and tuned to facilitate the integration of all the stakeholders.
Smart Grid is poised to revolutionize our thinking and style of operation in areas of electric power generation and its transportation and distribution to end-users, thus, maximizing all-round societal benefits to all concerned. A culmination of technological innovation and efforts amongst its stakeholders, Smart Grid aims at achieving all-pervading efficiency and economy. In other words, Smart Grid is nothing short of a revolution that involves power plant operators, transporters of electrical energy, distributors, associated industry, and end customers.
Essentially, an energy delivery system becomes a Smart Grid when it is distributed in a wide area, automated to a very large extent, and implemented for establishing a bi-directional flow of electricity and data. This is created for monitoring and control of the entire power system and facilitating response to changes in everything from choices of power plants to the preferences of the individual customer; the latter may even be extended to home appliances.
The Smart Grid is also conceived as a means for reducing carbon footprint because of lesser emissions and increased deployment of renewable energy resources with a view to empowering the 21st century society through unprecedented quality of power.
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