  Intelligent power grid research, i.e. smart grid, involves many simultaneous
users spread over a relatively large geographical area. A tool for advancing
research and community education is presented utilizing large-scale
visualization centers, e.g. planetariums, in simulating smart grid
interactions. This approach immerses the user in virtual smart grid
visualization and allows the user, with several other users, to interact in
real time. This facilitates community education by demonstrating how the power
grid functions with smart technologies. The simulation is sophisticated enough
to also be used as a research tool for industry and higher education to test
software algorithms, deployment strategies, communications protocols, and even
new hardware.
