Security is a top concern with smart electric grid

Security specialists are working to make sure the Obama administration's plans to develop a smart electric grid that relies on the Internet to supply and monitor power across the country will include security standards for reducing vulnerabilities to cyberattack.

President Obama spoke about "building a smart electric grid to deliver energy more efficiently" in his remarks on Friday about securing the nation's cyber infrastructure, noting that "protecting the [digital] infrastructure will be a national security priority." Nearly $3.3 billion will be invested in smart grid technology development grants and $615 million technology testing as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

A smart grid would rely on real-time, two-way communication to allow power customers to connect directly with electricity suppliers. A report from the Global e-Sustainability Initiative, created by information and communications companies to foster economic growth through technology, said, "A smart grid would work the same way that the Internet does. The difference is that while the Internet optimizes the routing of information, the smart grid optimizes the routing of electrons."