COURSE OUTLINE

Our nation’s electric power infrastructure that has served us so well for so long – also known as “The Grid” – is rapidly running up against its limitations. Our lights may be on, but systemically, the risks associated with relying on an often overtaxed grid grow in size, scale and complexity every day. From national challenges like power system security to those global in nature such as climate change, our near-term agenda is formidable.

The Smart Grid Introduction is intended primarily to acquaint non-technical yet interested readers about:

·        the existence of, and benefits accruing from, a smarter electrical grid

·        what the application of such intelligence means for our country

·        how DOE is involved in helping to accelerate its implementation

“The Smarter Grid” will function more efficiently, enabling it to deliver the level of service we’ve come to expect more affordably in an era of rising costs, while also offering considerable societal benefits – such as less impact on our environment.

“The Smart Grid” will spur the kind of transformation that the internet has already brought to the way we live, work, play and learn.