Smart grid resources gain public and private support

In fact, the research found that the majority of respondents to its study preferred a scenario where the majority of power is generated by the household through solar and related technologies, while minimal smart deployments saw only an 8 percent approval rating. The opportunity to reduce their energy bills and turn to renewable energy as the primary source of power drives many consumer opinions.

Despite this demand, data security and privacy was also a high concern for respondents. According to the report, 60 percent of consumers noted worries about their personal data privacy, while others were concerned about data sharing across the grid (49 percent). Balta-Ozkan noted that smart grid investments need to be led by policy change to assuage these fears and reduce risk while promoting innovation.

The increased focus on smart grids and renewable energy will have broad advantages in other areas as well, such as adoption of electric vehicles. Click Green reported that increased consideration of EV charging station needs is leading more utilities to invest in these technologies to support consumer demand for environmentally-friendly vehicles across the globe.

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