# Smart Systems for Future Communities

> “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.”  Winston Churchill made this statement in the context of a World War and a Cold War.  Today, the context is a new “arms…
> URL: https://www.smartdatacollective.com/smart-systems-future-communities/
> Last modified: 2010-09-28T22:33:46+00:00

*“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.”*   Winston Churchill made this statement in the context of a World War and  a Cold War.  Today, the context is a new “arms race” – to be the global  leader in energy security technologies encompassing clean energy  sources, energy transmission and storage, and energy efficiency.   The  question is – can we win this technology race without a clear, focused,  and forward-thinking federal energy policy? 

At the GridWise  Global Forum this past week, a parade of speakers highlighted the need  for a coherent national energy policy.  Silicon Valley venture  capitalists are also vocal about the need for market certainty  promulgated by federal and state energy policies to aid the flow of  investments into Smart Grid technologies and new energy sources.    Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric, said during a presentation at  GridWise, “The rest of the world is moving 10 times faster than we are.  This is a great country. But, you know, we have to have an energy  policy. This is just stupid what we have today.”  

What we have  today in the USA is an extremely fragmented energy ecosystem.  There are  over 3200 utilities ranging from investor-owned utilities (IOUs) to  municipals and rural cooperatives.  There are 50 state regulatory  agencies focused on retail electricity, gas, and telecom, involved in  rate setting and consumer issues.  The Federal Energy Regulatory  Commission (FERC) has oversight of interstate transmission and wholesale  electricity rates.  The North American Electric Reliability Corporation  (NERC) has a mission to ensure the reliability of the bulk power  system.   There are Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Regional  Transmission Operators (RTOs) that coordinate regional power markets and  transmission.  In contrast, nations like China and Australia have  simpler regulatory structures, and can formulate and enact energy policy  on a national scale.

While there may not be any quick fixes to  achieve a more rational regulatory structure in the USA, the federal  government is taking positive steps as outlined by Secretary Steven Chu  of the Department of Energy (DOE).  For instance, overall electric grid  security is extremely important to national security, and a natural  focus for federal action.  $30 M in funding allocations recently were  announced for R&D and coordination between the public and private  sectors in cyber security technologies. The [Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy](http://arpa-e.energy.gov/)(ARPA-E) funds  early-stage, innovative technologies that could be  potential-gamechangers.  Recent investments are in energy storage,  efficient energy transmission, and advances in cooling technologies for  buildings.  As Dr. Chu pointed out in his speech at the GridWise Global  Forum, some of the greatest challenges are not technical – they are  behavioral.  Getting Americans to change their energy consumption habits  will not be easy, and requires outreach and education from a variety of  entities and through a number of media channels.   

The progress  towards a Smart Grid, especially when contrasted to other nations,  highlights the problems with our current regulatory practices, our aging  infrastructure, and our lack of a federal energy policy.  Thinking that  we can continue as is with the current systems, technologies, and  subsidized fossil fuels is not a policy that wins this energy technology  race.  Will we do the right thing, as Churchill observed, to succeed in  this new global competition?

Learn more

An upcoming conference in San Francisco, [West Coast Green](http://www.westcoastgreen.com/), will explore themes around the built environment and creating smarter cities and communities.  I will moderate a panel titled Smart Systems for Future Communities, which will discuss technologies and approaches to revising our thinking about infrastructure and better energy systems. 

Utilities  and energy service providers will have massive amounts of data on  generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption because of Smart  Grid technologies.  How will they handle it, and what does this mean  for consumers?  A new ebook available for download [here](http://../../searchposts?search=ebook) covers  topics focused on Smart Grid data management, with content reflecting  contributions from several writers, including myself.