[b]nanotubes to improve the power grid efficiency [/b]
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The smart grid is the future conversion for methods and strategies of production and consumption of electric power and the interaction between all components of the electricity grid. The rate of return of the smart grid is accelerating with the rapid growth of related technologies. The science of nanotechnology is a trend in improving and changing the material characteristics, behavior and cost. The application of nanotechnology in the production and storage of electrical energy is in the early stages of development and research. This paper presents a brief summary of recent and expected advances in the smart grid in the nanotechnological discovery environment, specifically describing the applications and benefits of nanotechnology in photovoltaic cells, wind turbines, fuel cells, and intelligent sensors. It also introduces the use of nanotechnology in power electronics, computing and intelligent network communications. This overview provides a promising outline for the future smart grid.
The power grid can be defined as the whole apparatus of cables and machines that connects the sources of electricity (ie power plants) with customers and their innumerable needs.1-5 Power plants convert a primary form of energy, Energy Chemical stored in coal, radiant energy in sunlight, wind pressure or stored energy in the nucleus of uranium atoms, in electricity, which is nothing more than a temporary, flexible and portable form of energy. It is important to remember that electricity is not a fuel: it is an energy carrier. At the end of the grid, in factories and homes, electricity is transformed back into useful forms of energy or activity, such as heat, light, information processing or torque.