Information Systems and Science for Energy

今天的电网是一个大规模的、异构的、广泛部署的系统，被全球视为关键的基础设施。不幸的是，这个有百年历史的系统面临着几个主要问题，包括老化的基础设施、巨大的碳足迹、发电厂的规模适合峰值负荷而不是平均负荷，以及无法储存超过一小部分发电量。这些问题正在通过诸如分布式发电、电动汽车、能源存储的引入以及使用通信网络来监测和控制电网等创新来解决。这些发展将显著地改变电网的本质，从单向的、集中控制的准静态系统转变为双向的、分布式的、高度动态的系统，就像现在的互联网一样。

Today's electrical grid is a large-scale, heterogeneous, and widely-deployed system that is globally viewed as critical infrastructure. Unfortunately, this century-old system suffers from several major problems including ageing infrastructure, a large carbon footprint, generation plants sized for peak rather than average load, and inability to store more than a tiny fraction of the generated energy. These issues are being addressed by innovations such distributed generation, electric vehicles, the introduction of energy storage, and the use of communication networks to both monitor and control grid elements. These developments will significantly alter the nature of the grid from a unidirectional, centrally-controlled, quasi-static system to a bi-directional, distributed, highly dynamic system, much like the current Internet.