As local electricity networks are upgraded to smart grids, interactions with the national backbone can become more coordinated.
Examples given of the kinds of coordination are that hydropower from the northwest can be dispatched if wind is expected to temporarily subside in the Dakotas.
According to scientists such as James E. Hansen, construction of such a national grid is essential to any strategy to combat global warming.
The "Unified Smart Grid" is promoted by Alliance for Climate Protection (Repower America program)[1] and Al Gore.
The need for a national bulk transmission grid is detailed in T. Boone Pickens's energy independence plan.