A review of the development of Smart Grid technologies

Energy sustainability and environmental preservation have become worldwide concerns with the many manifestations of climate change and the continually increasing demand for energy. As cities and nations become more technologically advanced, electricity consumption rises to levels that may no longer be manageable if left unattended. The Smart Grid offers an answer to the shift to more sustainable technologies such as distributed generation and microgrids. A general public awareness and adequate attention from potential researchers and policy makers is crucial. This paper presents an overview of the Smart Grid with its general features, functionalities and characteristics. It presents the Smart Grid fundamental and related technologies and have identified the research activities, challenges and issues. It demonstrates how these technologies have shaped the modern electricity grid and continued to evolve and strengthen its role in the better alignment of energy demand and supply. Smart Grid implementation and practices in various locations are also unveiled. Concrete energy policies facilitate Smart Grid initiatives across the nations. Interestingly, Smart Grid practices in different regions barely indicate competition but rather an unbordered community of similar aspirations and shared lessons. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.