On the windswept terrain of northwest Utah, 10 miles or so from the Great Salt Lake, a sprawling campus of manufacturing facilities and support buildings hums with activity. The Promontory campus belongs to ATK Launch Systems, an aerospace and defense manufacturer that makes the rockets that propel the space shuttle and other gravity-flouting marvels. It is a place where the pursuit of energy efficiency is as much a part of the working culture as the rocket scientists who roam the grounds.
There and elsewhere in the manufacturing world, a great 21st century experiment is playing out. Manufacturers such as ATK are investing in the smart grid, a set of technologies and processes that could allow them to cut their energy use and save millions on peak demand charges. Before those investments can pay off, however, public utilities will have to get on board.
What's So Smart About the Grid?
It’s not that our existing electrical grid is dumb. Suggest as much to those who rely on it, and you’ll likely hear anything from a chuckle to a brusque rebuttal.