Smart Grid Questions

I know that the Smart Grid is coming.  I've just recently really started to do research on what the Smart Grid is and how it is going to work.  Based on this research I've got a few questions.  I'm very surprised to learn that this is a global thing and that the US & Europe are not the only ones doing this, in fact based on what I've read so far, it looks like other countries already have something like a Smart Grid or are ahead of us in the implementation of one.

Below are a few questions that I've come up with.  As I get answers to these questions I will post them.  Anyone that knows answers or can suggest sites to check out please let me know.  If there are more questions, please share them with me.

How far away is a Smart Grid?


If a Smart Grid is coming how will it affect the way we manage our businesses?

If a Smart Grid is designed to monitor the Energy Demand on the Grid and raise and lower energy costs accordingly and automatically have energy consuming equipment respond to the Demand on the Grid, how does that effect the way businesses are managing and controlling their sites? Will current thermostats and control systems be able to interact with the Smart Grid? My understanding is that sensors will monitor the Energy Demand on the Smart Grid and they will interact with the controls of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning units so they don’t run or run in a limited capacity during high Demand periods. Will new devices be required to be installed?? Right now if a building has thermostats for controlling heating and air conditioning and they want to upgrade to a EMS, they usually have to replace the existing tstats or controls. There aren’t many Gateways that can use the existing hardware and grab data from it. So my question is, if the Smart Grid is coming and it is suppose to allow for more efficient management of power generation and distribution using technology, how does that impact the current equipment that is installed into millions of homes and businesses today??

Also based on this information, does that mean that the hardware devices that actually monitor and control will become a commodity and the software interface used to manage the hardware will become focus moving forward? Everything from managing specific outlets in your home to managing an enterprise of nationwide facilities will come from the software interface.

Finally, who is going to pay for all of this new technology? Will we be required to do this? Will current Facility Management Systems, Energy Management Systems, Building Management Systems, Building Automation Systems work with the Smart Grid technology or will it all have to be replaced??

I don’t know, I’ve been reading about the Smart Grid and trying to piece all of this together, but these are just a few questions that I’ve come up with so far. I hope to find answers to these, but this is something that will affect everyone that uses energy.