Creating the energy Internet

The power grid is based on technology from the early 20th century, says Iqbal Husain, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University. “That needs to change.” Husain is director of the FREEDM Systems Center, a collaboration of leaders in research, industry and engineering education working to envision and then create the energy network of the future. With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) leveraged by additional industry support, the Engineering Research Center has sparked the growth of dozens of clean energy businesses in Raleigh’s Research Triangle, making the region an epicenter of smart grid development.