Smart Grid / Meter

The Basics - Our current electrical grid is over 50 years old, and in many people’s mind it is in need of a modernization. So, here we are with the Smart Grid. The Smart Grid is a new electrical grid that is more efficient and “smart.” But first, let’s realize what an electrical grid is. An electrical grid is an interconnected network used for delivering electricity from suppliers to consumers. It consists of generating stations that produce electrical power and it has transmission lines that carry power from distant sources to demand centers. So, in short all the electricity you use in your daily lives all comes to you through the electrical grid. And now, I’m sure you can see why America’s power grid needs to be the best it possibly can.

Benefits/Advantages of a Smart Grid –

Reduces Blackouts – The Smart Grid helps reduce blackouts because it senses the conflict in the power line in real time. It can automatically re-route power around the problem and reduce the impact zone. So instead of a complete outage you might just get a light flicker. If there is a blackout, the utility company knows immediately and can diagnose the problem remotely and fix the problem quicker.

More Environmentally Friendly – The deployment of a Smart Grid can result in a 0.9 to 2.2 giga ton reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. Allows less dependency on fossil fuels, and allows us to use renewable energy sources better. The Smart Grid has much more energy storage capacity that will smooth out wind and solar variability making them easier to use. Thus more people will use renewable energy instead of fossil fuels making the environment cleaner.  

Energy Efficiency – The Smart Grid will increase efficiency of today’s system by around 9% by 2030, saving more than 400 billion kilowatt-hours each year. That means we could save $42 billion in the first year.  The yearly energy the smart grid saves could air-condition 378,000,000 homes or you could drive an electric car 1.7 trillion miles. 

Cyber security – Utilities make sure your usage data is safe, they encrypt the data using cyber security methods, much like the ones banks or ATM’s use. Banks and private companies would be more appealing to hackers. And, hackers cannot take down the entire United States, due to the Smart Grid being localized in a certain region.

Jobs – The Smart Grid will create tens of thousands of jobs across the country.  These jobs include high paying career opportunities for smart meter manufacturing workers; engineering technicians, electricians and equipment installers; IT system designers and cyber security specialists; data entry clerks and database administrators; business and power system analysts; and others.

Costs and Funding – The Smart Grid will cost $ 338 to $ 476 billion over the next 20 years. But benefits will be greater than that, they could produce over $ 1 trillion in savings and benefits. The Smart Grid will be funded by both private sectors, venture capitalists, and the government. The government will be providing subsidies to this industry in order to ensure gain. Companies such as IBM are already working towards creating Smart Grid software, and will continue to invest as the technology grows. Venture Capitalists are also showing a great amount of interest in the Smart Grid.

Smart Meters – The Smart Meter is a device that can help a consumer save money in their daily lives. The Smart Meter tracks how much energy a person uses and then using its two way communication ability sends it to the energy provider making it possible for the consumer and supplier to use energy in the most efficient way possible. For example: the consumer can monitor and adjust energy use through smart meters, this leads to giving them more control over their energy bill, which then leads to cost savings. There have been issues with privacy and radiofrequency, but none of these serve a problem. Smart Meters are not a violation of a person’s privacy because they do not track how you use your energy they just track how much you use, and our current meters do the same. RF is also not a problem because all meters are approved by the FCC making them safe, and the meters transmit lower amounts of RF waves than devices such as your cell phone.