Many people are aware of smart grids and many are unaware, the success of the smart grid depends on consumer acceptance. Some don't care, and a few have negative associations with it, given lawsuits over smart meters in California and Texas. How to educate consumers who don't know about the smart grid was the focus of a creative effort in San Francisco recently. The event was of great interest to the smart grid industry, for which Smart Grid Today serves as the daily journal of record.

In a statement, Jesse Berst, acting director of the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative, an industry group formed to make smart grid more comprehensible to the public, said, “The World Wildlife Fund has its panda. Lance Armstrong gave us the ‘Live Strong' yellow wristband to help fight cancer. What we're after is a way to help consumers worldwide relate to the smart grid in the same way. It's quite a challenge. It needs to touch hearts and appeal to the head. It has to be understandable to rich and poor, technical and non-technical folks. We're here to find our panda.”

The smart grid could save billions of dollars worldwide in avoided power plants and spending by both utilities and consumers, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions. But consumer participation, through trimming usage and responding to changes in power cost throughout the day, is essential to the smart grid's success. The main challenge is to communicate this

complex topic to the public There is a need for symbol that will not only make the concept understandable but desirable?

About 50 industry people gathered in a big, white, noisy room at San Francisco's Frog Design (News - Alert) recently for a day-long “think-in” intended to create a universally recognizable, emotionally appealing symbol for the smart grid and energy efficiency.

Sujata Garud is a TMCnet freelancer with three years of writing/editing experience and two years of market research experience. As an editor she has covered the IT, electronics, banking, pharma, construction, mining and healthcare industries. To see more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Chris DiMarco