A special report on smart systems.docVIP

A special report on smart systems智能系统特别报道Sensors and sensibilities传感器与敏感性A smarter world faces many hurdles 更加智能的世界面临着许多困扰Nov 4th 2010 THERE is not much to see in the city of Bakersfield, north of Los Angeles, but recent events have put it on the global electricity-industry map. As in many other Californian communities, Pacific Gas Electric (PGE), the local power utility, had installed smart meters in most households. Soon afterwards customers started complaining about rocketing power bills. For some people they almost trebled. Predictably, this caused a political storm. Local politicians and consumer groups jumped on the issue. Enterprising lawyers launched a class-action suit. PGE admitted that some of its meters had technical problems, but the higher bills were clearly due to a combination of exceptionally hot weather, increased charges and changes in the rate structure.美国洛杉矶北部城市贝克尔斯菲尔德没有多少值得观光的地方，但最近的一些事件让该城市登上了全球电力产业的地图。该市的电力机构，太平洋燃气与电气公司（以下简称“太平洋电气”）在多数的家庭安装了智能电表，这与许多加州社区的做法如出一辙。很快，这种智能电表的用户开始抱怨飞速上涨的电费账单。对某些人来说，电费几乎是以前的三倍。可想而知，这引发出一场政治风暴。地方政治家与消费群体都积极参与了这个话题。富进取心的律师为此开启了一次集体诉讼案。太平洋电气承认，其公司安装的某些电表确实存在技术问题，但账单金额的增多明显是由于天气炎热、电费上涨以及电表计数机构的改变而导致的。An independent auditor found nothing wrong with the smart meters, and California’s regulators did not stop PGE from installing more of them. But utilities and regulators elsewhere, spooked by the incident, have become much more careful before embracing the technology. “Bakersfield is likely to slow down the installation of smart meters—not just in the United States but worldwide,” says Ahmad Faruqui of the Brattle Group, a consultancy. Bakersfield also demonstrates that a smarter world will meet with resistance. The reasons are part technical, part institutional.一位自由的核数师也没有发现智能电表有任何的问题，加州的监管者也没有阻止太平洋电力去多安装更多的智能电表。但受到此次事件惊吓的其它地方的机构与监管者，在使用这种科技之前，还是持有非常谨慎的态度。“贝克尔斯菲尔德可能会减慢智能电表的安装进度——不仅仅是在美国，而且是全世界的安装进度，”咨询商布拉特尔集团（Brattle Group）的阿曼德?法卢奎讲道。贝克尔斯菲尔德同样说明了，更为智能的世界将面临阻碍。其中原因部分是技术上的，部分则是制度上的。A list as long as your a