Linking Smart Meters and Social Networks
Finland’s vision for the consumer smart grid treads where few countries dare to go : to micro grids and social networks. Finland has long been a leader with smart meters and smart grids. It is no surprise then the small Scandinavian country has big plans for its smart power infrastructure: the melding of smart grids, cloud computing and social networks.
The result could be a collection of virtual micro grids -- and more grassroots power management.
Finland's eagerness to deploy a modern energy infrastructure has much to do with the country's harsh winters. Energy use per capita is among the highest in the world and domestic resources are limited largely to hydropower.
The desire to give consumers more control over their energy use led the country to require that all homes have smart meters by 2013 -- among the most ambitious deployment targets in the world. About half of Finland's 5.3 million people have smart meters today.
The result could be a collection of virtual micro grids -- and more grassroots power management.
Finland's eagerness to deploy a modern energy infrastructure has much to do with the country's harsh winters. Energy use per capita is among the highest in the world and domestic resources are limited largely to hydropower.
The desire to give consumers more control over their energy use led the country to require that all homes have smart meters by 2013 -- among the most ambitious deployment targets in the world. About half of Finland's 5.3 million people have smart meters today.
