Planning the electrical energy system 2.0 with Smart Grids

The development of Smart Grids, which has taken considerable momentum and efforts, is underway to implement rapidly systems that materialize concepts, that few years ago were only ideas about how to develop a new electrical infrastructure with benefits for all actors and in particular for the end users. However, the changes that are required to implement the Smart Grids will not produce their complete benefits without a careful planning of the entire network, including the Smart Grid elements that will produce the new infrastructure, that is the electrical energy system 2.0. This paper presents the main issues that have to be addressed in the entire chain from the planning perspective, incorporating rather that imposing Smart Grid elements. In this form the resistance of some actors such as regulators and other actors that have so far not considered Smart Grid solutions may adopt progressively ideas that complement the traditional forms of solving complex technical and non-technical problems that have been successful in the past but that need to be renovated to fully address the challenges of the future.