A group of experts is concerned that the term ‘smart grid’ is not understood by the general consumer who is likely to foot the bill for the grid transition. The workshop, organised by the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) thinks more needs to be done by stakeholders to create a standard recognised by the customer.

Dr Jeff Hardy, Knowledge Exchange Manager at UKERC, who edited the report said: “The smart grid clearly offers potential benefits to society. It can improve the reliability of energy supply, enable the transition to low-carbon energy systems, and play a role in mitigating climate change. However, these may not be apparent to the consumer, who, in the worst case scenario, could foot the bill for the smart grid and perceive no benefits at all.

“There are a myriad of actors involved in developing the smart grid, and they are all at different stages and may even be in competition. Certainly, they are not all speaking the same technical language.”

The report calls for a wider sharing on research information between technology firms.