Andrew Jones, Managing Director of S&C
At the helm of a company enjoying its centenary, Andrew Jones considers the pace of innovation in our sector, particularly in relation to the grid and storage, and looks to the next 100 years…
Looking back over the last century, there are of course massive differences in the world of technology and innovation now and then, and not only in how these various sectors have evolved, but in how they have done so. Through looking at industry expansion and the strategies that drove them, we can learn much that will ensure the smart grid industry continues to grow at a robust pace that sets a solid foundation for future success.
Firstly, let us consider the evolution of two technologies that consumers, institutions and businesses use every day: the electric grid and the telephone. The electricity grid infrastructure is largely exactly as it was a century ago; whereas the telephone industry has changed beyond all recognition.
Despite largely relying on infrastructure deployed in the mid-20th century, the electricity grid is expected to manage the incredible demand put upon it in the 21st century, including a plethora of devices plugged in, continuously sapping energy on a scale never envisaged at its creation.
The telephone industry has changed with the advent of the mobile phone, tablet PCs and the myriad of platforms, apps and paraphernalia which go with it. These devices and hardware have developed alongside the underpinning architecture, meaning they are able to function (relatively) smoothly on the infrastructure, and the industry has grown exponentially with it as a result.
