According to Barry K. Worthington, Executive Director of the United States Energy Association (USEA), and David Ropeik, Consultant in Risk Perception and Risk Communication at Ropeik and Associates, the energy grid is defined as the web of wires that connects people’s homes and offices to substations, which, through the grid, are also connected to sources of power. The black wires found at the tops of telephone poles are part of this grid; they connect to many different subsections, making it possible for power to be brought to people anywhere in the 9,000 square mile the grid covers. In an article from 2011 quoted at alternativeenergy.procon,org , Worthington and Ropeik take a moment to consider the larger picture of how this grid functions as a whole: “The wires are all interconnected. It is technically possible to light up a light bulb in Seattle with a watt that was generated in Tallahassee.” Although these wires are connected, the US Energy grid is divided into three parts: the Eastern Interconnection, which spans from the Rocky Mountains in the West to the Atlantic Ocean in the East; the Western Interconnection, which goes from the Rocky Mountains in the East to the Pacific Ocean in the West; and then the Texas Interconnection, which covers most of Texas.
(http://alternativeenergy.procon.org/files/usa_grid.gif)
This power grid looks, and is, complex. However it is not nearly so complex as most of the technology we have today; in fact there are many efforts to bring the technology involved in power grids up to date. The idea of modernizing the equipment to enable more transparency is referred to as the “smart grid,” which would include trackers and computer sensors, technology that could make it much easier for power companies to fix problems along the grid without having to search for the problem area first. These sensors would not only transmit data to the power companies; consumers would be able to monitor how much power they are using at any given time, something that is impossible to do now, when consumers only see the energy used in their end of the month statement. Users would also be able to see the price of power in real-time. Through a smart grid, it would also be possible to coordinate large-scale energy needs, for example if many people owned electric cars and needed to charge them at the same time. In addition to more informed consumers and more organized transfers of power, a smart grid would make it easier for people to use alternative energy on their homes, like solar or wind. So, not only are people more conscious of the power that they would take from the grid, but they might be inclined to use more clean energy. The pros seem endless, and the cons are few, but also large. The biggest obstacle in the way of a smart grid is cost, as it would cost a few hundred dollars to install just one smart grid, so giving every building a sensor would seriously add up. The other major thing preventing a complete smart grid is the attitude of power companies. Understandably, they are not thrilled that people would learn to consume less of their product with smart grids, so they are very hesitant to encourage their installation en masse. Hopefully soon enough their greed will peter out and the government will see the benefit of less power consumption and find money in their budget to install a complete and comprehensive smart grid across the whole country.
Sources:
http://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001247
http://energy.gov/oe/services/technology-development/smart-grid
http://www.economist.com/node/13725843