THE SMART GRIDIntroductionThe American Society of Civil Engineers suggests that the United States will need to invest $1.5 trillion in the current electricity grid by 2030. This same group has also gave the United States a “D Rating” for its current networks infrastructure. The United States received this rating because the current network is outdated and inefficient compared to what is available. The United States desperately needs to upgrade the network to make it compatible with new technologies and maximize the efficiency of electricity transportation. Many believe this upgrade is critical; the question, however, has been: when? mass incorporation of renewable energy resources into the grid. Others oppose smart grid upgrades due to its estimated cost. It will not be a cheap project and will put a strain on an already struggling economy. However, everyone agrees that this technology will have to be implemented sooner or later.ExplanationThe power grid is the term for the network of power lines, transformers and any other equipment necessary to transport electricity to the consumer's home. The current network relies on workers collecting the necessary data and reporting it to engineers and supervisors who then instruct how to maintain the network. Today, in the computer age, intelligent networking has become possible. The smart grid is conceptually similar to a smartphone. Smartphones are operated by powerful computers that provide the highest possible efficiency to give the phone more functionality and run faster. This is what the smart grid can do; maximizes the efficiency of the network and makes it compatible with the latest technologies. The smart grid incorporates two-way communications… middle of paper… to implement these upgrades are just as high as the benefits. The question still remains whether the US economy can fiscally support this improvement. If so, there should be no reason to block the upgrade, which will have to be done sooner or later and could be even more expensive in the future. BIBLIOGRAPHYBB Inc. “Energy efficiency in the electricity grid”. ABB Inc., 2007. http://www04.abb.com/global/seitp/seitp202.nsf/c71c66c1f02e6575c125711f004660e6/64cee3203250d1b7c12572c8003b2b48/$FILE/Energy+efficiency+in+the+power+grid .pdf .American Society of Civil Engineers , “2009 Report Card for Americas Infrastructure,” March 25, 2009, 4.Palmer, Roxanne. “The Growing Problems of Solar Power in Sunny Hawaii and Cloudy Germany.” International Business Times, December 23, 2013. http://www.ibtimes.com/solar-power-growing-pains-how-will-hawaii-germania-cope-boom-alternative-energy-1518702.