Most of the electric utility infrastructure deployed in the industrialized world was built between 60 to 80 years ago, and was designed to provide customers with as much energy as they could consume, generated from a centralized fossil fuel plant. However, much of the infrastructure is antiquated, and with the continuing increase in demand for power, the grid cannot safely and reliably manage the loads of today and tomorrow without significant upgrades. Furthermore, climate change standards and renewable energy mandates are among the key drivers that are forcing utilities to upgrades their infrastructure to incorporate new generation sources that do not negatively impact the environment. In order to accommodate these renewable sources of energy, which usually produce power on an intermittent basis, utilities are needing to install more accurate measurement, monitoring, control and analysis equipment to ensure these energy sources can be properly and reliably integrated into the grid. These intelligent technological and communication enhancements are usually described as the smart grid.
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