Smarter Utility

The smart grid: it’s been created to revolutionize American power distribution, as it is capable of letting companies and utilities monitor energy usage and assets in real-time, read millions of electric meters without sending someone around to millions of homes and businesses, find and isolate problems on power lines, and “intelligently” offer different energy prices based on fluctuating demand.

Its critics point out that once installed, it can be used to unilaterally cut off power to homes or businesses whenever someone gets their finger on a button, and can be used to enforce energy quotas.

There are pros and cons, of course, as with every large-scale technology that can encompass society as a whole. Are the benefits worth it? Is it worth getting power at a few cents cheaper if you run your washing machine at two in the morning, when power consumption is lower, if there’s also the installed ability of the power company to dictate that your washing machine will only operate at off-peak times? Is it worth the added efficiencies if you’re also ceding the power to centrally allow and disallow power usage?

A recent video from smarter utility AT&T (News - Alert) explores the network that could be used to bring out the benefits of the smart grid. AT&T has a vast, reliable wireless system in place already, and is “working to provide the backbone” of the smart grid, according to the video.

Utility grids are widely dispersed, reaching into everybody’s premises, the video notes, adding that “AT&T is already there” with its voice and data network, as well as the knowledge and expertise to manage it all. AT&T handles failover protection and disaster recovery, ensuring continuity of services for a huge nationwide network, with real-time management.

AT&T offers applications that include capabilities such as sending a message asking if you want your home energy use curtailed for a certain time on a certain day, and if you’re not going to be around. You can also toggle your home energy settings via smartphone, and send and receive outage reports, among other innovative features.

“The possibilities enabled by the smart grid are only fully realized between the smarter utility and the consumer base when communications are highly secure and reliable,” TMC’s (News - Alert) Susan J. Campbell wrote recently. “AT&T is well-versed in providing such communications, offering utilities access to a trusted provider for the management of the backbone networks making the smart grid a reality.”