Smart Grid Strategy and Vision

Thomas Edison invented the world’s first functional light bulb. Then he imagined something greater—an electric grid. To fully move into the digital age, society may need to imagine something greater as well.

That something is being termed the Smart Grid and is seen as a power system that combines traditional and cutting-edge technology to create a much-improved electric grid. That grid would, in turn, support the ever-increasing array of digital services desired by consumers, while effectively managing the requisite massive flow of energy.

Xcel Energy’s Smart Grid Vision

Possible solutions presented so far have been either very narrow or very broad. Few firms are focusing on the value chain that runs all the way from raw resources to consumer value. In order to make Smart Grid a reality, Xcel Energy is attempting to treat it as an organic evolution, and believes significant collaboration will be required to prove the opportunities. The grid has been essentially the same for the last 100 years, and this presents a chance to revolutionize it.

Our long-term smart grid concept imagines an evolved energy grid with layers of functional, sophisticated intelligence built in—intelligence that will foster communication and integration among the grid’s various components and processes. This would enable the grid to better monitor, manage, and even balance itself.

Xcel Energy has found a committed group of willing and influential partners—including venture capitalists, industry analysts, elected officials, technologists and environmentalists—who want to be actively involved in bringing smart grid to life. And the time is right to explore these possibilities.