The Fujitsu Laboratories of America Technology Symposium 2010 focused on the evolution of the smart grid and its integration with the Internet of Things, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in the energy industry. Discussions included the need for utilities to adapt to renewable energy sources, engage effectively with consumers, and address security concerns while bridging the technological gaps. Key points included building consumer buy-in for smart homes, the impact of electric vehicles on utilities, and innovative business models for sustainable energy consumption.

1. Fujitsu Laboratories of America Technology Symposium 2010:
Session Overviews
Smart Grid: When Energy Meets the “Internet of Things”
Smart Grid Landscape
Most people have heard of the “smart grid” by now, but there is still a bit of mystery about what
it really is, and what it is going to take to become a part of our every day lives. There is an
expanding ecosystem of players emerging in this space, from startups to established
corporations, across many industries– energy, telecom, and information technology. In this
keynote, we will explore the competitive landscape and look at what some of the innovative
companies are doing to connect all the dots in this realm.
Energy Evolution and Modern Utility Challenges
Some people claim the energy industry is undergoing a revolutionary transformation. Others
argue it hasn’t changed much in the past 100 years, and its future transformation faces many
obstacles. Most would agree however, that it must evolve for the sake of the planet and our
health. As the costs and externalities of fossil fuels increase, and innovation in renewable
energy sources moves forward, how will the economics change for the utilities? How can
technology help their businesses evolve and prosper? What about the low-hanging fruit of
energy efficiency? How can the utilities engage better with the consumers? What are the
evolving standards and how will they help? What are the barriers to adoption of renewable
sources and a “smarter grid”?
Energy Goes Wireless and Meets the “Internet of Things”
The “Internet of Things” may have become just another buzzword for the “universal
addressability of dumb things”, but as IPv6, RFID, embedded processors, and sensors become
more ubiquitous, what will it mean for energy? What happens when our household appliances
start talking to each other through self-configuring wireless networks, then talk to us and our
extended social networks, and talk back to the utilities? Will this just generate more data than
we are capable of processing? Will we be able to make sense of it, and improve the way we
collectively use energy? Will it solve the modern utility challenges and help us overcome our
dependence on fossil fuels?
Bridging the application-to-hardware gap using C++ and C++0x
We have grand plans for smart, sophisticated, correct, secure, large-scale software, for easy to
develop and deploy applications, and advanced frameworks. We also have hardware of
unbelievable sophistication, complexity, and variety. In between, there is a vast logical gap,
potentially (and conventionally) filled by inflexible, performance destroying, and un-
maintainable low-level software. This presentation focuses on how to use C++ and C++0x to
develop systems software to bridge that gap in ways that lead to more reliable, more
adjustable, and better performing code than traditional uses of C and assembler.

2. Network Security Challenges
To those in the traditional Internet security industry looking at the emerging smart grid, there is
a feeling of “Déjà vu”. Security, once again, may be at risk of becoming an afterthought. And
this time, it will not only be our information that is at stake, but also our energy supplies. What
lessons can we learn from the Internet? What happens when we start giving “smarts” to dumb
objects? How can trusted computing and other IT and communications-based security solutions
be applied to the smart grid? What is unique only to the smart grid? What standards are
evolving around it and how important are they? What about simple inadvertent human errors
that can wreak havoc?
Building Consumer Buy-In for Smart Homes in the Smart Grid
What’s in a Smart Home? There’s technology - Home Area Networks (HANs) and Home Energy
Management Systems (HEMS) that offer residential consumers remote, automated control of
smart or dumb appliances. There’s energy policy - dynamic pricing and demand response
programs that will be operational influences in Smart Homes. However, the most reliable HAN
technologies and the easiest HEMS user interfaces mean nothing if residential ratepayers do not
get WIIFM – “What’s In It For Me?” messages. In other words, we all fail if we end up with smart
homes and dumb consumers. What are the messages that need to be communicated to create
energy-smart consumers? Who is responsible for communicating these messages? How will
these be communicated? Are there lessons to learn from other industries or business sectors
that can be applied here? Before we get entranced by technological visions of the Jetsons, we
need to effectively communicate those visions in terms of immediate and long term benefits to
ratepayers, taxpayers and consumers.
Plugging Into the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
Utilities already have a big challenge with ROI because they have to “build for peak”, that
afternoon of the hottest summer every year when all the air conditioners are running full blast.
Now as dozens of car companies big and small start building plug-in electric vehicles for the
growing market of energy-conscious customers, it presents a new potential peak for them to
build around. Can they solve it this time without more utilities and power lines? How can IT
and communications technologies come to the rescue? How will battery innovation impact
things? What will be the role of demand/response and dynamic pricing? What about
innovative business models? What if the energy mix doesn’t change to more renewable
sources? Is the EV only as clean as the utility that feeds it?
The Business of Smart Energy
All this talk about saving the planet and our health is great, but where’s the money? If “less is
more” is the mantra, how can more money be made while less energy is being consumed? How
can we account for externalities better without imposing carbon taxes or cap and trade? Can
consumers save money while the companies make more money? How do business models need
to evolve? Who is investing in smart energy, and why?