There’s no question that in order to meet our clean energy goals across the globe, we need a smarter grid. Integrating high percentages of renewable power will require a smarter grid to help manage the challenges presented by the inherent intermittency of wind and solar.

To greatly reduce our oil imports and carbon emissions, we need greener transportation and electric vehicles, which require grid intelligence to ensure increased demand from vehicle re-charging does not cripple our electric infrastructure.

Smart grid has broadly been touted as a critical opportunity for ushering in a cleaner energy economy. 

In addition to helping power companies integrate cleaner transportation and greener energy, smart grid will help improve the grid’s efficiency to better manage soaring demand and empower consumers with greater levels of choice and control over their energy consumption and costs. 

Perhaps less understood is the amazing business and investment opportunity smart grid enables for both well-established technology companies and entrepreneurs. With $4.5 billion in U.S. stimulus dollars and $200 billion in private investment expected from 2008-2015 across the globe, it’s clear that smart grid presents a wealth of untapped opportunity for investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators.

And there’s really no question as to why … smart grid, like the Internet, will have a ubiquitous effect on our lives, from the cleaner energy that powers our daily activities, to the power-management technologies that help us most cost-effectively consume it.

In recent months, venture capital dollars have followed the promise of smart grid’s vision. In the third quarter of 2010, smart grid was the third most invested-in technology within the cleantech segment, only after transportation and biofuels.

While money is changing hands, there are still billions of dollars that utilities are keeping in the sidelines -- indicating reticence that is largely driven by unanswered smart grid questions. Uncertainties pertaining to consumer engagement, energy policy, and international standards development must be addressed to effectively and efficiently move smart grid forward.

For this reason, GridWeek has convened a cross-section of industry stakeholders for the past four years to foster the collaboration needed to answer the industry’s most pressing questions -- while providing the business community with unfettered access to the industry-leading organizations and a 30,000-foot view of the smart grid industry.

As part of GridWeek 2010, more than 150 industry-leading speakers and panelists will be addressing critical smart grid issues, helping to answer mission-critical questions on the minds of all smart grid stakeholders.

Here are three of those key questions -- ones that will have a clear impact on the business of smart grid:

1. What path will our national energy policy take?

Today, we have 50 different states, with 50 different approaches to energy policy, and 50 different approaches to utility regulation.  What we’ll get -- 50 different views of smart grid. Until we understand how and if carbon will be taxed, whether we’ll see a national renewable portfolio standard and/or energy efficiency standard, and how these initiatives will be funded, it will be difficult for utilities -- and businesses -- to effectively prioritize their smart grid investments.