Positive
Cost savings!_Source 1a&2a:
According to the energy provider PG&E article smart grid technology will save the consumer money and help to restore power when there is an outage.
Personal management:
According to the same article individuals will also be able to track via apps on their handhelds their energy effeciency of the their residences.
Partnerships are modernizing the US
(100 year old grid structure!)
The US is investing in technology to update its grids. One example is the use of synchrophasors which help to five real-time information on the system as a whole and this can reduce outages.
Negative
Cyber Attacks!The US Energy Grid/Smart Grid _Source 1b:
Most of the grids: are very old and are supported by computers making them more susceptable to a hack.
If the computers are left inoperable the grids may shut down leaving the US without areas of critical power such as defense equipment and hospital life support
For example; It could leave the country open to a military attack and shut down businesses & severely hurting the economy!
Negative:Energy Grid system @ Risk for Physical Attacks!
And Complicated by ownership._Source 2b:
Physical Attacks:
This article mentions that here are 300 million people services by the grid by 200,000 miles of lines of transmission.
It would be impossible to protect the grids due to their massive layout throughout the US! It sites that even smart grids which are more modern computerized form that will require re-engineering of the current system are still prone to attacks.
Complexity of Ownership:
Also according to the same article the grids are owned by numberious private companies both small and large so decisions on change and defense are very complex.
~Sources To Check Out~
http://www.pge.com/mybusiness/edusafety/systemworks/electric/smartgridbenefits/
http://energy.gov/articles/how-synchrophasors-are-bringing-grid-21st-century
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101992466?__source=msn|money|headline|headline|story|&par=msn