Smart Grids are Coming

Smart Grids are the future and it is the Smart Utilities that will operate and maintain them. The government set out their Smart Grid Vision on the 2^nd December 2009 and the network operators are only just starting to come to terms with its technical, commercial and regulatory implications. In effect it means that Network Operators face their biggest challenge since rural electrification back in the late 40s and 50s.

The final outcome remains unclear but there are already some certainties. There will no longer be the traditional distinction of Transmission and Distribution networks, with distributed intelligence becoming the norm. Operators will not simply invest in assets as they have historically, but will invest heavily in the operational side of their business.

The investment will be biased towards the use of technology, supported by near-real-time monitoring and control. Huge amounts of data will be required to run a Smart Grid, so IT support systems will be extended and adapted to meet the changing needs. The response of GIS will be to move away from analytical and desk bound, towards a distributed and field-based resource, where mapping data is readily available to everyone with operational responsibility wherever they may be.