The Smart Grid could do with better PR

Nearly 70% of the attendees at this year's RETECH event believed the smart grid would benefit their business. And almost as many -- 62% -- thought utilities had not been successful in publicizing the grid.

Those were the conclusions of a survey by the UK firm Sentec, which develops products for energy management and metering.

"Attendees at RETECH are the people with their fingers on the pulse of the energy industry," said Sentec's marketing manager Hermoine Crease. "... it's a strong reflection of belief within the sector."

I'm not surprised at the slow pace of PR for the smart grid. While we've made great progress in building the smart grid, we've still only scratched the surface. We're not yet at the stage where it makes sense to go out and herald the smart grid's arrival.

But we'll get there.