We don't need "Smart Grids". We need "Smart People"
"Green" and environmental protection concerns are often cited as the reason for implementation of "Smart Grid" technology. While these serve to market the technology, these systems are designed to give utility companies better control over their infrastructure.
Electrical systems are like highways. They have to be designed for Rush Hour on Fridays, and that is expensive and wasteful.
Problems arise when consumers of electricity decide to do moronic things such as come home from work on an August day, flip on the central AC to chill the house (that is, if it was not already running all day while no one was home), use all 50 gallons of water in their water heater tanks on a half-hour shower, all while drying a load of soaking-wet laundry and preheating the oven for dinner.
The Smart Grid concept involves integrating information technology into the power grid to better understand and control the flow of electrical energy. For example, it can be designed to turn off the forgetful businessman's home air conditioner during days of high electricity demand. It can also be designed to send real-time wattage (or the more effective dollars-per-hour) numbers directly to a consumer's mobile telecommunications device. It has drawn criticism from conspiracy theorists due to the fact that the information technology may extend as far as the electric meter on individual homes and electrical appliances themselves. Like water fluoridation and RFID tags, theory goes that this may be used as a means of mass control.
Further politicizing the issue is the fact that the industry and many politicians are attempting to market the system to the public on environmental (e.g. conserving energy) grounds. Many likely support its implementation and subsidy based on this factor alone, and many likely oppose its implementation and subsidy based on this factor alone.
Not a big energy saver...
A Smart Grid is not so much an energy-saving measure as it is a way for utilities to make the best use of their equipment and theoretically pass the cost savings on to the users of electricity. However, the implementation costs can be extremely high and so long as fuel costs (natural gas) remain low and electricity demand growth (need for new power plants) remains minimal, the monetary costs of implementing Smart Grid technology may be too high for the industry. That is, unless they can convince someone to subsidize them.
We don't really need a Smart Grid, we just need smart people to understand that electricity flows just like traffic on the road. If everyone wants to go somewhere at the same time, there will be a jam. In the electricity world, this means that distribution and transmission equipment is stressed by the high power demand and inefficient generation (simple-cycle gas turbines, diesels) must often be employed to meet the demand, raising the monetary and environmental costs. The equipment has to be designed to handle the peak power flows which makes electricity more expensive to transmit and distribute as well.
Run the dryer and take showers later at night or early in the morning, as electric dryers and water heaters are the biggest power consumers in the house. Turn off air conditioning when not home (this obviously saves energy as well as reducing power demand). Maybe consider using a clothesline or air-drying in the house and eliminating that 6000-watt beast altogether.
Three Options
- Smart Grid: I.T. in the grid monitors realtime power usage, gives consumers of electricity the opportunity to consume off-peak when prices are lower.
- Behavior Change: Consumers voluntarily change their behavior to shift usage off-peak, having faith that this will keep the average price low.
- Doing Nothing: Utilities build their system to handle peak loads, consumers pay for this infrastructure.
When the public thinks about the electricity that it uses, the grid won't have to think about it for them. If the public does not want a Smart Grid, we will either need to modify consumption behavior to level out demand, or pay the price for the inherent inefficiencies in a system which is built to supply peak demands.
It should be noted that voluntary modification of behavior with no incentive provides cost reductions similar to apartment buildings with "Heat Included": Some people will have their windows open in February while others are caulking and sealing.
CREATED/WRITTEN: 2011-04-05 20:35