Almost everything in our households requires the use of electricity from charging our cell phones to using hot water. Most people forget that our boilers are started up by electricity that warm up the water and turn it into hot water. In the summer we keep our air conditioners running all day and night in order to stay cool from the hot weather. What we do not think of is how this stuff works.
First we have the power grid which is an interconnected network that runs electricity from the suppliers to the consumers. The grid consists of three main components. First of
three is the electricity generation which are located near water and tend to be away from heavily populated places. The electric power that is generated is put in a higher voltage which is connected to the transmission network. Second of three is the electric power transmission which is the network or wheel that will move the power along distances and finally we see the distribution. This is a very simple explanation of a very complicated process of how energy is created, converted, stored and then distributed.
Research has shown that their is a demand load during the early evening. The government has launched programs where if you promise to use demand response, you can save money. Although in many states the price you pay per usage is based on the usage of all the households and not just your self. Therefore your neighbors directly impact you more than you think. This program can help you if you promise to curtail your usage during peak hours in order to prevent future blackouts.
When blackouts happen it is a pain for many people and cause major interruptions in people’s lives. Therefore Demand Response have been put into effect in order to help keep a steady flow of electricity to people without any interruptions. Another way we can satisfy everyone’s electricity usage is by building more power plants. That idea will not be good because it will destroy the environment faster than we are doing it today.
I many stores today we can buy electricity products that save on energy. Energy Star an energy efficient consumer products first originated by the United States 1990’s and has been adopted by six other countries since as well as the European Union. These energy star products generally use 20%-30% less energy than required by federal standards. This program was intended to be part of a series of voluntary programs such as Green Lights
and Methane programs in order to reduce green house emissions. Excitingly in 2006 12% of new housing in the United States were labeled energy star. In 2006 alone it was estimated that it saved $14 Billion in energy costs. Today if we walk into a store we will see many products are labeled with Energy Star. As a consumer we can receive tax deductions through the federal government.
Sources:
ENERGY STAR. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. <http://www.energystar.gov/>.
Area, Research. “Automated Demand Response Technology Demonstration Project for Small and Medium Commercial Buildings | Demand Response Research Center (DRRC) | Drrc.lbl.gov.” Demand Response Research Center (DRRC) | Demand Response Research Center (DRRC) | Drrc.lbl.gov. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. <http://drrc.lbl.gov/publications/automated-demand-response-technology-demonstration-project-small-and-medium-commercial->.
“PJM – Demand Response.” PJM – Home. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. <http://pjm.com/markets-and-operations/demand-response.aspx>.
Although you had a lot of background that seemed like it would be confusing to someone who doesn’t know much about electricity or grids, you explained it very well. The graphic that you included along with it allowed for me to follow what you were explaining in a visual way as well. Very helpful.