IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter - November 2012
Chairman's Note
We are saddened by the tragedies brought on by Hurricane Sandy and impressed by the sacrifices and commitment of so many crews from North America, from the east to west coasts and Canada to Mexico who are tirelessly working to restore electricity and services quickly and completely.
Recent events bring home the tremendous value of electric power networks that underpin the nation's quality of life, security, safety and economy, and underscore the search for cost-effective, risk-based, and innovative pathways forward to harden and strengthen the infrastructure and to enable a more resilient, secure and smarter infrastructure that would localize impacts and enable a speedier restoration of the services.
At the IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter we are committed to advancing progress together in this foundational area in order to modernize the existing infrastructure and to bridge the more advanced, smarter, more secure and resilient infrastructure envisioned for the next 10-20 years and beyond.
Many thanks for your continued commitment, efforts and leadership.
S. Massoud Amin, D.Sc.
Chairman, IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter
http://umn.edu/~amin
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Written by Matt Wakefield
An assessment done four years into a seven-year program confirms the general effectiveness of demand-response, but identifies challenges with the business case for some technologies such as in-home displays. Conservation Voltage Reduction is proving to be an unanticipated cost-effective beneficial resource, while energy storage is found to be technically effective but still at the outer boundary of cost-effectiveness. With over two more years to go, the EPRI demonstration program will also assess virtual power plants and encourage more rapid smart grid standardization.
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Written by David O'Brien
Traditional utility rate setting is arguably incompatible with innovation in electric power transmission and distribution. But there is a ready solution: performance-oriented ratemaking that supports innovation, measures operational results and rewards performance.
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Written by Bruno Sinopoli
A grid that incorporates computing and communications intelligence unfortunately presents potential attackers with many new opportunities, requiring a holistic approach to security that takes both hardware infrastructure and software into account. Fortunately, researchers are addressing these new issues on a broad front.
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Written by Jay Giri
Let's hear what the Grid has to say about its own evolution, and the potential it sees locked away in all that data. The author puts on his sci-fi hat and imagines a conversation with the Grid about a specific technology – synchrophasors – and how they will change the way the Grid interacts with control room operators.
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Matt Wakefield is a Senior Program Manager at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Area Manager for EPRI's Smart Grid Research Programs. 
David O'Brien is a former Vermont Commissioner of Public Service and is now a strategic consultant to... 
Bruno Sinopoli received a doctorate in engineering from the University of Padua, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering... 
Jay Giri, an IEEE Fellow, is Director of Power Systems Technology and Strategic Initiatives at ALSTOM Grid...