IEA Technology Roadmap: Smart Grids

The development of smart grids - which the IEA defines as an electricity network that uses digital and other advanced technologies to monitor and manage the transport of electricity from all generation sources to meet the varying electricity demands of end users - is essential if the global community is to achieve shared goals for energy security, economic development and climate change mitigation. Unfortunately, existing misunderstandings of exactly what smart grids are and the physical and institutional complexity of electricity systems make it difficult to implement smart grids on the scale that is needed. This roadmap sets out specific steps needed over the coming years to achieve milestones that will allow smart grids to deliver a clean energy future. Foreword Acknowledgements Key Findings Introduction -What are smart grids? Rationale for smart grid technology Purpose, process and structure of the roadmap Electricity System Needs for Today and the Future -Future demand and supply Electricity system considerations Electricity reliability Smart Grid Deployment -Smart grid technologies Smart grid demonstration and deployment efforrts Tailoring smart grids to developing countries and emerging economies Status of electricity system markets and regulation Vision for Smart Grid Deployment to 2050 -Regional analysis and impacts for deployment Quantification of peakdemand and the impact of smart grids Regional scenarios for deployment to 2050 Smart grid CO2 emissions reduction estimates Estimating smart grid investment costs and operating savings Technology Development: Actions and Milestones -Development and demonstration Standards Policy and Regulatory Framework: Actions and Milestones -Generation, transmission and distribution Smart grid, smart consumer policies Building consensus on smart grid deployment International Collaboration -Expand existing international collaboration efforts Create new collaborations with other electricity system technology areas Smart grid collaboration and developing countries Conclusion: Near-term Roadmap Actions for Stakeholders -Summary of actions led by stakeholders Glossary References List of Relevant Websites