The Smart Grid

Guest: Steven Low, PhD, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology  When we talk about energy efficiency and the push toward relying on more renewal sources, there’s a parallel effort you may be less familiar with. It’s the work of bringing our electricity system into the new digital age.  Do you realize the “grid” that links a power plant to the light switches in your home is fundamentally decades-old? And that while you may use an app on your smartphone to control the thermostat in your house, many power companies still have to send an actual person to read the meter and see how much electricity you used last month?  A “Smart Grid” is what experts call a future where our electric utility system has been computerized with sensors and chips.