U.S. Energy Grid

The U.S. Energy Grid consists of wire interconnected systems that supply and carry electricity throughout the nation.There is no actual national power grid, but three separate systems that run through the different states. The systems run electricity through wires that are high voltage to move faster, but become lower voltage when they are transferred to our homes. The power grid began in the 20th century. The interlinked systems now include over 3,200 electric distribution utilities, over 10,000 generating units, tens of thousands of miles of transmission and distribution lines, and millions of customers. The national reliability organization for the power grid system is the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, established after the 1965 blackout that shutdown the East Coast. Although pretty reliable the grids do need to be updated and enhanced for improvement. This includes:

• new transmission lines
• assessing the cost of construction and payment of construction in one state, when the site provides electricity out of state.
• trying to have high quality concentration of voltage be able to reach the greater demand
• who is going to pay for the new lines?

The “Smart Grid” allows people to receive and communicate through digital messages passed through the grid. This allows people to become aware of a bug in the grid and send instructions to fix it. It also allows uses to adjust the amount of electricity their appliances are using with smart devices attached to the grid in the home.

The issue with these system is getting clearance {zoning, finance} for additions to the systems to bring more electricity and efficiency to the power grid. The question remains though that if Americans become more eco friendly will they need to innovate the power grids?

Resources:

http://www.eia.gov/energy_in_brief/article/power_grid.cfm

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103713402

http://www.smartgrid.gov/the_smart_grid#smart_grid