The New Smart Grid: 21st Century Tech for the 21st Century

by Bill Chameides | March 6th, 2009
posted by Erica Rowell (Editor)

Permalink | 3 comments

While our electric grid has been enormously successful, many believe that a computerized, adaptive system (a so-called “smart” or “intelligent” grid) could do better. I see four key issues the smart grid could address. (OSHA)

Part two of two in a series on smart grids

First, a recap of last week’s post: In the late 19th century Thomas Edison pushed for a distributed system to deliver electrical power. His dream was never fully realized. Instead, George Westinghouse’s system designed circa 1891 took shape and forms the structure of today’s grid: a centralized system.

Smart Grid Mini-series
1: Powering Our 21st Century Lives With a 19th Century Design Go »
2: The New Smart Grid: 21st Century Tech for This Century

Today’s Grid: What’s Wrong

While it’s based on his vision, Westinghouse might not recognize our current grid – a vast system of some 16,000 power plants connected by hundreds of thousands of transmission lines carrying electrons to millions. Collectively, every year we consume more than 4,000 million megawatt-hours of electricity.

We’re used to electricity on demand. We expect the flip of a light switch to produce instant illumination. To accomplish this, we’ve organized our electric grid into three wide-area, synchronous grids: an East, a West, and a Texas grid (it’s special I guess).

Why synchronous? And why not national? It all has to do with that pesky alternating current (AC), in which electrons move back and forth. Here’s the thing – you can’t just plug different power plants, windmills, or regional grids together. (See figure 1 here for a breakdown of our energy sources.)

3 Comments

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shaniqua
May 20, 2009

whats the point of having a smart when people can controll energy there self don get me wrong i dont think this smart grid or whatver is gunna work tghe only way to get people involed is by payin the person to shut off there lights??? thats a great idea why cant we do that instead??
Daniel Wedgewood
Mar 25, 2009

Dr. Chameides, Why is it that Texas (besides being “special”) is not part of one of the other power grids – it can’t be because of distance: the Western Grid would still be smaller than the Eastern one, even if Texas was incorporated. Dan
- Bill Chameides
  Mar 27, 2009
  
  Dan – Excellent question. Here is what I have been able to find out: The isolation of the Texas grid has roots in World War II, when ERCOT’s (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) predecessor, the Texas Interconnected System, was created. At the time, the state was home to several factories vital to the war effort. The state’s electricity plannersâanxious to keep the assembly lines running and concerned about the reliability of the power supplyâfelt that a Texas-only system would be more dependable than one that harnessed electricity from distant states. Texas’ isolated arrangement worked largely because of the state’s abundance of homegrown natural resources, particularly coal (Texas currently ranks fifth in annual production) and gas (first, with 24 percent of the nation’s proven reserves). (excerpted from: http://www.slate.com/id/2087133/)