While you can think about the smart grid without the clean energy , reverse is not true if it is grid connected.Now the Climate change has forced upon us Clean Energy committment I believe over a period of time all polluting sources of energy are to go for sure.And for all this you require innovation

The author of this Blog wrote probably the worlds first Project on Smart Metering or Power Grid Corp of India in October 2003 essentially to catch thieves of energy on line.It had a team of engineers from South Africa/From Banglore/And From US. The project in its form employed very highly advanced Fiber Optic Technology developed by some of the best brains and proposed Online simulation techniques for feeders- not yet achieved anywhere .The project has travelled around the World but has bot been implemented as proposed anywhere.Power grid asked me to provide copies to 11 Utilities but onlytwo utilities took interest .It was shown by tecnoeconomic analysis that project will pay for itself in two years due to high amount of energy theft currently prevalent

Some effort was made but the project was downgraded to remote metering and Fiber optic technology proposed was not done. Now Denmark has done a Smart grid project using Fiber Optic Techniology.Some progress was made as this could result in getting better data and designing statistical techniques to catch thieves.But it has been on a very small scale as costs were high

The word smart metering was not concieved at that time nor this linking with smart grid.Now it it percieved that even projects made exentially made to control theft of energy has a bearing on clean energy in the new scenario.Smart grid requires online simulation of feeders - a technology which was developed for control of theft of energy. That Power grid watered it doiown is a show of shortsightedness prevalent in India and ourr inability to promote innovation here .Power grid Subsequently Broke up this project in he form of RAPDRP programme again practically a failure to develop means for online simulation- the ideas of catching the thieves on line

Recently I attended a programme of Indo US alliance on innovation funded by FICCI and DST and USAID. My point is: In INDIA there is no support for innovation due to political/ economic and social causes as this experience suggests. We have not had a Technically qualified Engineer as Energy minister for last 65 years!!