Communication+Networks

n its Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology declares that a twenty-first-century clean energy economy demands a twenty-first-century electric grid. 1 The start of the twenty-first century marked the acceleration of the Smart Grid evolution. The goals of this evolution are broad, including the promotion of widespread and distributed deployment of renewable energy sources, increased energy efficiency, peak power reduction, automated demand response, improved reliability, lower energy delivery costs, and consumer participation in energy management.