Facilities Managers Joining Smart Grid Bandwagon

... and noting security/reliability benefits:

Enhanced security is another benefit. By implementing a grid that can sense what is happening within it, system operators will know when someone is trying to tamper with it. The electrical grid is a critical infrastructure, and an attack on it could be devastating. Recent reports state that spies have been mapping the U.S. utility infrastructure and hacking into its computers, planting software that could be used to disrupt it.

Another recent incident that points to the vulnerability of critical infrastructures is the cutting of lines in California that disabled phones and the Internet. It is impossible to police millions of miles of electrical cables, so intelligent systems will be vital in monitoring and securing this critical infrastructure.

Full article here.