Our partner: Armando Infanzon

Armando Infanzon doesn’t take energy for granted.

He grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, where electricity blackouts were common. He’s also a champion salsa dancer and has performed internationally.

“It’s all about timing,” he says.

Timing is what gets Infanzon fired up about the new smart grid, the interactive power distribution network he is managing for San Diego Gas & Electric.

Dancing with the grid

When sun or wind power lapses, he explains, the smart grid can signal appliances like dryers to shut off momentarily, so demand for power moves in step with supply.

That little dance, called demand response, lets far more solar and wind power be used without crashing the grid.

Infanzon is at the leading edge of a major transformation of U.S. energy infrastructure.

He predicts: “Changes in the way electricity is delivered will be greater in the next ten years than in the last 100.”