One of the speakers of the Sustainable Development session at Lift Asia 09 conference in Jeju Island, South Korea, focussed on the Smart Grid and I realized that there were quite a few lifters who only had a very vague conceptual idea of what it entailed.

This video, made by the South Korean firm, KEPKO (Korea Electric Power Corporation), gives a broad view of how it is possible to make use of varied energy resources while using electrical energy in an intelligent fashion.

That implies not simply connecting up wires and cables and so on, but building an entire intelligent system that uses wizard computerized programmes to work out in advance where and when we’re going to need what quantities of electricity. The Smart Grid doesn’t stop at supply and demand. It also deals with transport. How can electricity get to where it’s needed, preferably at off-peak prices?

The Smart Grid uses electronic sensors that detect what is being used when and by whom and then uses that information to build patterns and proactive distribution systems backed by the relevant economics. It’s also about not relying on a single energy source but sharing out the resources. Using renewable energies: photovoltaic and solar concentrators when the sun’s out, wind perhaps when it’s cloudy and water, when there’s tidal movement in the sea or enough current or water mass in the river to generate a current.

The Smart Grid is about making energy sources compatible – that’s called “interoperability” – and ensuring that when one source is down, the other takes over. It’s about ensuring that energy gets transported efficiently to where it’s needed at the right time.

There are new technologies being developed that open up economical and environmentally friendly possibilities for electrical energy use while helping save the planet for the next generation.

What about using the heat that’s generated by cooling devices such as the freezer or the refrigerator? How can we save, store or transfer “wasted” energy to other uses?