WATERLOO October 23, 2012 - Researchers at the University of Waterloo have come up with a bold vision to transform energy delivery in Canada: smart energy networks (SENs) that connect electricity grids, natural gas pipelines, renewable energy resources and district heating networks into a single, integrated system.

As a new report from the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy describes, this would allow "smart" appliances and equipment to switch seamlessly between energy sources, using…