Recently many utilities, manufacturers, researchers, government leaders around the world are working on a very sophisticated issue, Smart Grid, to modernize both the electric power transmission and distribution grids for the future.

As a suitable subject for special issue for the Journal of Advanced Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Informatics (JACIII), I found that Smart Grid with its impacts on many fields is a timely subject though related to the fundamental concept of this Journal on Intelligence and real-world applications and so forth. Smart grids are intelligent and self-healing power systems which integrate intelligent transmission network with IT and collect, distribute, and process information about the behavior of all power suppliers and consumers in order to improve reliability, power quality, and to reduce electricity costs. Using a key issue, smart meter, enables smart grids to have smart real time monitoring on a regional and national scale to control and management the grids to avoid or mitigate the system-wide blackouts. In this special issue, we hope to explore breakthrough and new contributions useful to achieve the goal of smart grid.

Three papers were selected for this special issue: The first paper proposes a novel idea though a strategic system in energy and environment required in smart grid. Managing sources combination including solar energy as well as the production trading is a new kind of risk management in smart grid. Important extensions of this study includes emissions management program accommodating uncertain and erratic renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energies. The second paper is related to communication aspect required for smart grid technology when renewable energy in small smart communities is interconnected to the smart grid. The simulation model developed in this paper is believed to be a useful tool in real-time power management system in smart grid. Third paper is selected as another hot subject in smart grids; the authors developed an extended procedure that obtains a unit commitment including a significant wind power penetration and PEVs as additional reserves. The shadow prices obtained by the trade-off analysis may provide a basis of evaluating the equivalent cost of the wind farms and the applying PEVs as the reserve and their contribution toward CO2 reduction.

Finally, using this opportunity, I would like to thank the reviewers for spending their valuable time for evaluating the papers and quick response which made this special issue catch the time. I would also like to thank the JACIII editorial office for their great assistance for preparing this special issue.