The impact of Hurricane Sandy’s devastating blow last week to the East Coast, particularly in New Jersey and New York, is still being felt. Superstorm Sandy left at least 75 people dead, destroyed homes, created lines and rationing at gas stations, and churned through an estimated $50 billion in economic damage. Hundreds of thousands of people are still without power—and may remain in the dark for some time to come.   READ MORE >>

The smart grid can usher in a whole new way of interacting with the electricity system. When storms knock down wires, smart sensors can detect and isolate the problem without us noticing. Or, if we’re feeling especially ambitious, we can program our electric vehicle to automatically charge when electricity prices are low. To do this, the smart grid requires a robust communications network.   READ MORE >>

Electricity is the connective tissue of the information age, powering everything from toasters to giant data centers and making possible virtually every transaction in daily life. Yet while the “information economy” creates new value by innovating to meet diverse consumer preferences, the electricity system remains slow to respond and reluctant to adapt. Electricity driven by the speed of IT is needed.   READ MORE >>

Beginning on June 29th, a brief but violent storm swept from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic, disabling electricity to the masses. The storm toppled trees and branches into power lines and knocked out transmission towers and electrical substations, leaving more than 3.8 million people without power, some for more than a week.   READ MORE >>

This was originally published at GreenBiz.com on March 5 as the final installment in a five-part series by RMI professionals on how to put into practice the ideas of Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for a New Energy Era.   READ MORE >>