In reality, what they wanted to replace was not the grid, but rather the primary energy source.

FORBES: The Good Grid and why bragging about being "off the grid" is silly

In July, Denmark announced plans to deploy the world's most extensive smart-grid infrastructure, which could make distributed energy the country's primary source of electricity before long.

FORBES: The Answer To The Energy Problem

You can bet that the Chinese master planners are not considering energy jobs as the primary or long-term source of employment, green or otherwise.

FORBES: Clean Energy Driven Job Growth Is A Return To The Stone Age

I'm not saying we don't need green tech, whatever that really is, or that we don't need more "clean" energy, whatever that really is too (I have to note that all new energy technologies are almost always cleaner than old, regardless of the primary source).

FORBES: Clean Energy Driven Job Growth Is A Return To The Stone Age