n its Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, the US
National Institute of Standards and Technology declares that a twenty-first-century
clean energy economy demands a twenty-first-century electric grid. 1 The start of the
twenty-first century marked the acceleration of the Smart Grid evolution. The goals
of this evolution are broad, including the promotion of widespread and distributed
deployment of renewable energy sources, increased energy efficiency, peak power
reduction, automated demand response, improved reliability, lower energy delivery
costs, and consumer participation in energy management.
