Imagine a time in the not too distant future when your power comes from a seamless mix of renewable energy and traditional sources. It is delivered by a grid that manages thousands of windmills and hundreds of thousands of customers. Computer
, the grid is able to manage instant variations in supply and demand and provides a real time power balance. Far more complex than anything
existence today, it is called a smart grid. This technology is a new frontier in power supply and seen as a green solution to current outdated management systems. When introduced smart grids will result in energy savings and will allow consumers a choice in their electricity charges and to be able to select the cheapest time
. The difficulty for the energy industry is that smart grids
in reality and the power companies cannot experiment with existing supplies. Without an actual grid to conduct research on Professor Wu has had to design a simulated laboratory including input from theoretical wind generators and solar panels to feed into a constantly operating system. For an authentic approach researchers built various types of equipment failures
the grid to test the system. And it works.