(premature publish - meant to just save... will come back to this later.)

Today a colleague sent me a link to this Newsweek article:

Plugging Into the Future

In Boulder, Colo., a surge of electricity on the power grid can largely go unnoticed. The grid is monitored electronically, so that if there are any sudden rushes or fallen power lines, electricity is automatically rerouted from one part of the system to another.
...

The "smart grid" is a catchall phrase for the power grid of the future, with various test projects underway in Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, and Hawaii. The idea is to make a system that will stop power surges from causing blackouts. It would create more energy-efficient power lines to carry electricity longer distances without losing voltage (current grids lose about 8 percent of power over distance). It would incorporate wind and solar energy into existing power grids. And it would let customers monitor the electricity they use in their homes, paying less for power consumed in off-hours.

Well, being in Boulder, Colorado, and in the energy software business I am compelled to comment.

First, as for monitoring and re-routing, that's certainly a good objective, but one I've not heard promoted before. Sure, we've got gadgets on poles...