If everyone in Los Angeles put solar panels on their roofs, plugged electric cars into their garages and used smart power-meters today, something interesting would happen.

The electric grid would collapse.

L.A.’s aging grid simply isn’t stable enough to handle environmentalism from everyone, but policy-makers are eager to make that green future feasible. Now, a $60-million stimulus grant from the federal Department of Energy to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), plus $60 million in matching funds from the LADWP, will help local academic powerhouses create a “smart grid” that will take the existing grid to the next level.

More here.