Currently, power on the grid generally flows like water — through the path of least resistance. But power electronics do exist that can direct where we want the power to go. These devices are generally called FACTs, or Flexible AC Transmission devices. They are important, because they allow us to use the capacity in the grid more efficiently and make it easier to manage the intermittency of renewables and a grid where distributed generation is growing.

A Canadian inventor has come up with a new kind of FACTs device that can be retrofitted to existing grid equipment, making this option much more economical for conservative transmission utilities. You can read a bit more about the device in my Clean Break column today, and check out the Web site for the device, which is called a Hybrid Power Flow Controller.

In the world of cleantech, transmission system technologies might not sound as sexy as thin-film solar or offshore wind, but faster development, testing and adoption of such devices is crucial if we hope to add significant quantities of renewable energy to the North American grid. It’s basically a realization of the “energy Web,” and while the concept has been discussed for many years, we’ve seen little movement in that direction. That needs to change.