The adoption of smart grid technologies is crucial for the future of South Africa’s power grid and its efficiency. Intelligence is key and smart grids are an enabler of intelligence, highlights University of Pretoria Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering Department head Professor Raj Naidoo. A significant portion of the country’s transmission and distribution losses arise from undetected faults, unmetered consumption, ageing assets operating beyond their design envelope and the absence of real-time situational awareness.