The EnergyportSM as Part of the Smart Grid

Electric systems increasingly are controlled by customer response and will be aided by real-time pricing and “dynamic systems.” Over the next decade, the adaptation of advanced electricity management will become an integrated part of the entire electricity value chain. Electricity is often taken for granted, but it is the building block which fuels the digital economy. The digital world is enabling a potential shift which could enable the electricity enterprise to shift from a commodity-based, risk-averse industry into an innovative, real-time creative industry. While some of the incentives to engage with customers exist now, the principal incentives lie with a potential change in the regulatory compact. In most jurisdictions, investor-owned electric utilities are able to deliver effective and economic electricity energy. Customers routinely make investments in home and commercial electronics for reasons other than managing electricity—heating, ventilation and air conditioning control, home entertainment, security, and services.