Smart Grid

First a trivia question:

Which of these cities is one of the 10 largest (by population) in the US:

a) San Fransisco
b) San Jose
c) Detroit
d) Indianapolis
e) Boston

This city was in the news recently when it announced "Green Vision" a 15-year plan to cut per-capita energy consumption in half and derive all energy from renewable sources.

They started this vision by installing more energy-efficient street lights, which will be powered by low-energy LED bulbs and monitored across a smart network.

The streetlight network will function in a similar way to a smart electricity grid. Using the city's wi-fi network, the technology enables the lights to transfer real-time data about the status and performance of any given bulb. That way, maintenance crews won't have to search for a fried bulb.

The city will also be able to monitor energy consumption, anticipate outages and dim lights to save energy at the flip of a master switch.

This truly is a vital technology and illustrates the potential for smart grids in the future.

The city in question: San Jose, California

From: http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/24/technology/street_lights_echelon.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009042412