An Orderly Transition to a Transformed Electricity System

In September 2001, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored a workshop to develop a roadmap on communication and control technologies for distributed energy resources. From this and subsequent activities with industry, academia, and other research institutions, the concepts and vision of an interactive and adaptable electricity system emerged; a vision that is now commonly referred to as smart grid. Supported by significant federal investment announced in 2009, the DOE, its national laboratories, and industry partners are now making significant strides in smart grid deployments, demonstrations, and research. An imperative underlying these activities is that they contribute to ensuring the steps taken in transitioning toward a smart grid retain a system with dependable performance to the economy and society it services. This paper summarizes the status of current smart grid related efforts, explains smart grid priorities, and describes the direction of research and development activities supported by the DOE.