Consumers Uninterested in Smart Grid; U.S. with Long History of Investment in Energy; Both IOUs and Greenies on Same Page?

Utilities Hot for Smart Grid Technology But Utility customers and consumers in general - not so much.  IOU's swooned for the Smart Grid but failed to encourage and educate consumers who are summairly dismissing this new technology. 

Anyone Remember Synfuels?  Solyndra May be Getting the Spotlight, but there is a long long history of Government Funded Failures in Energy Industry, including the Hydrogen Car and Clinch River Breeder Reactor.  Only thing is nuclear, synfuels, and hydrogen had strong support from Republicans. 

 New York Times Gets Cheeky with clean tech Investment in Sunday's Online Edition.  But utility giant NRG fires back .  So does my former DOE colleague, Joe Romm, in Think Progress.