8 PART | I Setting the Context ENVISIONING THE SMART GRID: WHAT DO WE WANT FROM IT? As described in the following chapters of this book, the twenty-first-century grid--hereafter referred to as the smart grid--will include a complex network of technologies and systems, hardware and software, communications, and con- trols that taken together will provide both producers and consumers a high level of visibility and control. Being inherently flexible and adaptable to unantici- pated future changes, it will include technologies that we already know and technologies yet to be created. Much of our efforts to date have focused on tech- nologies and not on broader questions about energy management solutions-- because we understand technologies better, because both vendors and utilities tend to gravitate to technologies, and mostly because we lack a robust vision to serve as a framework for meeting comprehensive goals. It is less useful to prescribe the technologies of the smart grid than to describe what this new infrastructure and ecosystem must accomplish. One can refer to previous studies by NETL, DOE, EPRI, and many others for detailed descriptions of technology solutions. It's difficult to predict details of what changes will take place, in what time frame, and with what results, but it's extremely important for us to have a vision of where we want to go. By focus- ing on these priorities, we can create concrete goals and metrics while providing vital directional and correctional guidance to early deployments. As consumers we all have a rich set of expectations for our electric power service. We want it to be always available and inexpensive. We want it not to pollute our cities or neighborhoods and would prefer not to see power lines. If we see ourselves as "green" consumers, we also want our electricity use to have limited impact on the global ecosystem. If we are on fixed incomes, we want costs to stay the same or go down. And if we are operating a business, we want 100 percent reliability without exceptions. In other words, if we envision a grid that will meet our needs in the twenty- first century, we would want it to be: Affordable Clean Reliable Capable of supporting our evolving economy and society Exactly how these priorities will shape the smart grid will vary based on fac- tors like geography, generation profiles, building and user characteristics, eco- nomics, innovation, and policies. We Would Want the Smart Grid to Be Affordable Across decades and continents, the electric industry has effectively created an implied contract that obligates utilities to provide as much electricity as