Hurricane Sandy and the limits of the smart grid

Yours truly, writing for NOVA:

We’re in the midst of a lengthy and expensive overhaul of our nation’s electrical grid, one that heralds a new, “smarter” future. Power generation and delivery haven’t changed much since the days of Edison and Tesla, but a new wave of technologies, known collectively as the smart grid, will modernize the industry. Some utility companies have already started down this road, installing smart meters that communicate demand with operators. But could smart grid technologies have helped during Hurricane Sandy, or any other large natural disaster, for that matter? The answer is yes and no, and which part of that answer is right depends on how you define the smart grid.

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