Kyle McNamara

Smart Grid technology will give utilities and consumers a much greater level of control and insight into how and where power is used, including faster location and resolution of outages. It will enable distributed generation, where customers can install alternate and renewable energy sources at their homes and businesses, and sell unused power back to the utility. Some of the specific technologies include automated metering infrastructure (AMI), distribution automation, and monitoring sensors. Smart Grid will give utilities the ability to develop more innovative products and services (e.g., time of use pricing, prepaid metering, improved demand response). It will also make operations more efficient by enabling remote meter connects and disconnects, and improved analytics around outages. At the same time, it introduces challenges such as an explosion of data, the increased need for security, rapid introduction of new devices, and a changing customer interaction model. The telecom industry went through a similar transformation starting in the 1960s, moving from a regulated monopoly to a series of competing players around the country and the globe. Our experience transforming our industry is directly applicable to what utilities are facing, and both industries are governed by a series of regulators. As utilities plan their smart grid communication networks, security is paramount. The networks being deployed will use a hybrid of technologies including wireless, mesh, and wired connections – and communications between these connections must all be secured. Utilities, like telecoms, are part of the nation’s critical infrastructure, and they need to make sure that only authorized parties can control the flow of power. In addition, these devices will provide more insight into homes and businesses – data which must be kept private and released only to authorized parties. On May 12, I will be presenting at the Secure360°™ Conference on the topic of “Technology’s Role in Enabling Smart Grid Transformation.” My presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, 2010, at 10:30am. If you are able to attend, please stop by so we can further discuss these items and connect in person. If you are not able to attend but are interested in the material, please contact me directly and I will send it to you.