So from the tone of my previous parts, you probably assume that I’m not a fan of Smart Grid. You would be wrong. I’m actually a big fan of it. I think it is very necessary for us to upgrade and expand our current electrical grid in order to avoid massive amounts of electrical problems in the coming years.
Electricity use is on the rise, and many people, myself included, believe, that we’re on an increasing slope. More and more of our daily-use products are becoming electrically driven. Sure, we are making progress in toning down how our already electrically driven products are using electricity, but we’re putting more and more on the grid. Cars, for instance, are going to be a large problem as more and more of them come onto the grid. Sure we have less foreign oil dependency, but in a crunch like a black out and brown out, you’re stuck without a vehicle. This means that the grid is going to need to be even more reliable than it is right now, because so many people will be depending on it for transportation.
I think more power plants, a more efficient Grid, and more home production of power is the only way we’re going to be able to survive the next twenty years. Smart Grid encompasses the technology necessary for a more efficient grid and more home production of power. Smart Metering, Instant Feedback Mechanisms, Gird Visualization, Phasor Measurement, etc. are all great things that can make our grid a lot better compared to what it is now, I think.
What worries me is not the technology. What worries me is the legislation. I think the politics is going to screw it up. I think politics will cause the benefits of the new technologies to be made moot. I’m hoping that it won’t be the case, but I have a fear that too many different groups have too much at stake in too many opposing areas surrounding Smart Grid and the end result might be a Smarter Grid with a much dumber way we use electricity.
