Smart Grid Transitions

Many of the sectors I've researched feature the 'Pot of Gold' paper. This is usually an article by a reputable research firm that presents a careful, factually based top-down estimate of the potential size of the market. Ideally, the report contains a one-line nugget about 'x number of consumers @ $y per consumer' or 'the total market is (this massive amount), all we need is (this minute % penetration) and we're all rich.The one-liner then gets picked up by more mainstream media and drives interest for years to come. This report from the Edision Foundation seems to be the paper for the Utility industry. The key line from the executive summary is:

"By 2030, the electric utility industry will need to make a total infrastructure investment of $1.5 trillion to $2.0 trillion. The entire U.S. electric utility industry will require investment on the order of $1.5 trillion under the RAP Efficiency Base Case Scenario. The cost could increase to $2.0 trillion under the Prism RAP Scenario"

I don't think there is an official breakdown of the spending between various categories. I have seen other sources that state that only half of that amount is new generation, leaving up to a trillion dollars for transmission & distribution. I have not seen an explicit one-liner about Smart Grid potential in this report, but a number of sources seem to be agreeing that generation is by far the most expensive way to meet demand, so all 'smart grid' based demand-management scenarios will seem cost effective when compared to the massive numbers being considered for new generation. ok - I'm going make the buzz phrase, and see how it flies:

"all 'smart grid' based demand-management scenarios will seem cost effective when compared to the massive numbers being considered for new generation"