Ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid

GE’s Ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid is an open call to action for businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators and students seeking breakthrough ideas to create a cleaner, more efficient and economically viable grid, and accelerate the adoption of smart grid technologies and just might get funded.

The Challenge invites people to come together to take on one of the world’s toughest challenges - building the next-generation power grid to meet the needs of the 21st century.

Selected Ecomagination Challenge entrants will be offered the opportunity to develop a commercial relationship with GE through:
Investment ( $200 million capital pledge of GE and its partners will be invested globally into promising start-ups and ideas), Validation, Distribution, Development, Growth

Here is the visualization of ideas ranked by votes and comments. Check it out which idea going to get $200 million.

via www.ge.com
(Click here for an interactive graphics)

The development of the smart grid

via americainfra.com

Despite heavy power usage, America's national grid is outdated and inefficient. Rolling blackouts and power outages are common place and as such the argument for a smart grid has never been stronger, or had as much support. However, one potential problem facing the project could be how to maintain energy demand with the need for using renewable energy resources.