Why should anyone care about this smart grid stuff?

In a recent article, BusinessWeek makes the case for the importance of the "smart grid" movement:

The existing U.S. power grid dispenses electricity but is limited in its ability to gather intelligence from end users—hence the monthly visit from a meter reader. Now utilities are replacing outmoded meters with so-called smart meters that foster a back-and-forth between customer and utility. In much the same way PCs opened the door to third-party software and services and use of the Internet, smart meters are paving the way for tools and services that make the system more responsive to shifts in energy demands.

Remember when telephone lines and television cable systems were also boring one-way distribution systems? Well, the electric grid is about to be transformed in the same way technology transformed the telecomm and cable industries. The full article is here.

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