Smart Power: Digital Grids, Public Trust, and the Future of Energy

Build secure, intelligent grids that earn and sustain public trust

Grid modernization requires more than technology upgrades; it demands public legitimacy. Smart Power: Digital Grids, Public Trust, and the Future of Energy provides an integrated roadmap for engineering, policy, and investment leaders navigating this transition. Drawing on decades of experience leading national smart grid programs and advising governments worldwide, this practitioner-authored guide connects technical rigor with civic and ethical considerations.

The book examines AI integration, digital twins, zero-trust cybersecurity architectures, market reform mechanisms, and sector coupling across electricity, heat, transport, and hydrogen systems. Real-world cases from large-scale digital grid planning in East Asia, the 2025 Iberian Peninsula blackout and restoration, tariff and rate-design reforms in the United States, Estonia's data-trust platform, and pay-as-you-go solar deployment in Kenya illustrate practical implementation strategies for both Global North and Global South.

The book also provides:

• Frameworks for integrating equity, citizen foresight, and workforce transformation into grid modernization strategies that build durable public support
• Technical guidance on zero-trust cybersecurity architectures for protecting critical energy infrastructure from emerging digital threats
• Sector coupling strategies connecting electricity systems with heat, transport, and hydrogen networks to improve efficiency and resilience
• Policy navigation tools for regulators and utility executives implementing market reforms while maintaining reliability and affordability
• Replicable lessons drawn from real deployments, failures, and recoveries across multiple regions

In this book, utility executives, energy investors, regulators, public officials, and infrastructure policy experts will find actionable tools for modernizing critical systems. Graduate students and faculty in energy systems, public administration, and cybersecurity will gain practical frameworks grounded in real-world deployments rather than theory alone.