To use EE terms and try something like CS terms, because the energy travels at the same speed as our fastest communications systems (actually, faster...) coordi

To use EE terms and try something like CS terms, because the energy travels at the same speed as our fastest communications systems (actually, faster...) coordination is very tricky. In practice the system is entirely "pull based" and whatever energy you ask for we'll try to send and the only control system dampening is via losses (oscillations just turn into heat...). So if you were pulling 1000 KW on a line dampened to send no more than 2000 KW and suddenly you pull 1001 KW there's no communications technology fast enough for us to know if a fire is starting or merely my toaster is making breakfast. The problem with some kind of packetized transfer of energy between storage batteries is not only is any reasonable packet far more than enough energy to start a forest fire, even the mere capacitance of a long power line, even if given infinite fast commo and protocols, is still way more than enough energy to start a forest fire. There is no technological way to push energy thru a tinderbox without having occasional failures aka forest fires. You can fix that by only running wires thru a treeless desert, and if you don't have a desert you can make one, or you can not run wires. The idea of only running long distance electricity along a deforested interstate or rail very wide right of way is interesting and would be safe although probably extremely ugly.