The Integrated Decentralized Electric System Paradime

The electric power system has operated under a structure which featured large central station power plants. Instead, devices at the ends are putting power on to the grid, and power flows are switching directions. How do we operate in that regime? What kinds of communications do we need? Sensing devices, information sharing? And how does it change how we plan the intrstructure of the system? Essentially, this revolution to the small scale, local, decentralized and renewable resources is really affecting every aspect of how the electric power system is operated.