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One of the reasons why smart grid is generating so much interest right now is its ability to enable the integration of renewable energy into the electric power network, leading to a broader generation portfolio and potentially beneficial carbon implications. Lots of the discussion of smart grid in policy and media (including places like Greentech Media, Cleantech, EcoGeek, GreenMonk, and the New York Times blogs Dot Earth and Green Inc.) has emphasized the potential economic and environmental value from having investments in the electric power network that make the accommodation of renewables easier, reducing transaction costs and shifting the margin at which investing in renewables is profitable.

Redmond, Wash.-based software giant unveils beta release from its new startup, announcing partnerships with four utilities and two leading meter companies, with more to follow.

But, some utilities are clearly more advanced than others. In an article published in the July/August edition of Intelligent Utility, Rick Nicholson and H. Christine Richards of IDC Energy Insights provide their assessment of which utilities are leading the pack towards a "smart grid".

It seems to me that the auto industry has a very intriguing opportunity right now to use all of the recent entrepreneurial and investment activity in clean transportation tech to their benefit. This opportunity could help them address the evident "gap" between highly innovative demonstration vehicle programs, and the historically slow pace of adoption of core innovations into mass-production models.