New England has on e of the most reliable electric grids in the world , but it was built on a model of large, centralized, fossil fuel power plants and one - way power flows across a network that lacks the ability to send real
-
time information to the grid operator
, or real - time market signals to consumers to use energy more effectively
.
In recent decades the use of new clean energy technologies has fundamentally changed the energy landscape
. Today, consumers are increasingly asking for more control over their energy use, source s and costs and are installing “ distri buted
” (rather than centralized) energy resources, such as rooftop solar
,
energy efficiency and demand response
. In addition, more large
-
scale renewable energy generation
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Looking ahead to 2025, we may see 10 times the number of households with solar PV and other d istributed generation technologies. There could be hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles plugging into the grid to recharge and integrate into home and neighborhood micro
-
grids. And there will be new technologies we cannot even imagine today. These s marter homes, appliances and buildings, as well as the potential for neighborhood and campus micro
-
grid systems will effectively change our electricity system from the historical centralized generation model, to a distributed network of smart local sub
-
net works, real
-
time information and communication, supported by pricing signals that help efficiently balance supply and demand.
The Northeast and the nation are just starting to consider the changes that need to take place in our electricity system to resp ond to the changing demands of customers and the innovative new technologies being deployed on the grid.
Efforts
to develop a modern,
21
st century electric grid are underway in Massachusetts and New York and should be a key policy priority throughout the