Smart Grids from a Global Perspective

This book presents a cross-disciplinary approach to smart grids, offering an invaluable basis for understanding their complexity and potential, and for discussing their technical, legal, economic, societal, psychological and security aspects.
Smart grids are a complex phenomenon involving new, active roles for consumers and prosumers, novel social, political and cultural practices, advanced ICT, new markets, security of supply issues, the informational turn in energy, valuation of assets and investments, technological innovation and (de)regulation. Furthermore, smart grids offer new interfaces, in turn creating hybrid fields: with the increasing use of electric vehicles and electric transportation, smart grids represent the crossroads of energy and mobility. While the aim is to achieve more sustainable production, transportation and use of energy, the importance of smart grids actually has less to do with electricity, heat or gas, and far more with transforming the infrastructure needed to deliver energy, as well as the roles of its owners, operators and users. The immediate goal is to contribute positively to a sustainable world society.
The chapters are revised and expanded texts based upon lectures delivered at the Groningen Energy Summer School 2014. Questions for further discussion at the end of each chapter highlight the key themes that emerge.
The book offers an indispensable resource for researchers, professionals and companies in the power supply industry, and for students seeking to broaden and deepen their understanding of smart grids.

Foreword.- Introduction.- How Energy Distribution will Change: an ICT Perspective.- Smart Business for Smart Users: a Social Agenda for Developing Smart Grids.- Behavioral Aspects of Smart Grids.- What are Smart Grids? Epistemology, Interdisciplinarity and Getting Things Done.- Cyber-Security Vulnerabilities: an Impediment against Further Development of Smart Grid.- The Optimal Control Problem in Smart Energy Grids.- Economic Regulation of the Energy Market.- Frequency Regulation in Power Grids by Optimal Load and Generation Control.- Charging Electric Vehicles in the Smart Grid.- Demand Side and Dispatchable Power Plants with Electric Mobility.- Privacy Issues in the Use of Smart Meters - Law Enforcement Use of Smart Meter Data.- Conducting a Smarter Grid: Reflecting in the Power and Security behind Smart Grids with Foucault.- Emerging e-Practices, Information Flows and the Home: a (Sociological) Research Agenda on Smart Energy Systems.- Smart Grid Pilot Projects and Implementationin the Field.- Energy Efficiency in a Mobile World.- End User Research in Power Matching City II.