If you think you really know what "smart grid" is all about, raise your hand. OK, so I can't really tell, but, if you're like me, this is a term that sounds great but has very little real content for you. Unfortunately, most media coverage uses this term without any definition, as if we all knew what it was and how it works. So I was pleasantly surprised to read this article about a study that Con Edison is doing on a section of its service area in New York City.
Besides the typical hyperbole about how smart grid will save modern civilization, media articles usually have very little content and tend to treat smart grid as if it were an off-the-shelf, ready to use phenomenon. This article takes enough time and goes into enough detail to show the reader both what some of the components are, and to point out that we are, as a society, still at the point of gathering information about the possibilities and problems involved in what all agree is a much needed overhaul of our electricity transmission system.
If you'd like to do further reading, consider these publications from the U.S. Dept. of Energy.