Cable industry invests in a smarter power grid

The utility grid is undergoing a massive change, transforming in a similar way to the cable network 30 years ago, according to Dr. Robert Cruickshank, managing member of Power Networks.

"Now with distributed solar, and storage, you know, battery storage in people's homes, we actually have content creation and storage at the edge," said Cruickshank on the podcast.

The "unprecedented change" to the grid isn't without growing pains, explained Cruickshank. Extreme weather conditions, increased electricity usage and a reduction in traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels have all placed a strain on the utility grid.

On the bright side, the US is moving toward a smarter grid, supported by efforts such as the SCTE 267 standard, explained Cruickshank.

"And we actually, in the Society of Cable Telecom Engineers, we created a standard called SCTE 267. And in that standard, we define how you can communicate with devices, and tell them exactly what you were saying," said Cruickshank.

You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here. If you want to skip around and listen, here are a few more things covered in this interview:

• Current state of US power grid (00:33)
• Potential issues if utility grid isn't updated (03:23)
• What can be done to update the power grid (04:00)
• Smart grid transformation (05:02)
• SCTE 267 standard and importance of demand response (08:19)
• Large scale examples of smart grids (10:03)
• How cable operators and broadband providers can support smart grid transformation (11:54)
• Cyber security challenges to the smart grid (12:58)
• How long the smart grid transformation will take (17:10)
• Additional resources (18:09)

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