Electricity is delivered to your home through the grid — “a complex network of power plants and transformers connected by more than 450,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines.”
The process from beginning to end can be seen in the figure below.
Simply explained, electric power is first generated at power plants. It is then moved by means of transmission lines to substations. A local distribution system of smaller, lower-voltage transmission lines moves power from substations to you, the customer. In the process there are several transformers that steps down the voltage of the generated electricity before it enters the neighborhood distribution lines or your home.
Below is a video that also explains the grid and how it works.
America’s electric grid is made of three smaller grids, which are called interconnections. These interconnections are what are responsible for moving electricity around the country. “The Eastern Interconnection operates in states east of the Rocky Mountains, The Western Interconnection covers the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountain states, and the smallest — the Texas Interconnected system — covers most of Texas”
Below is an image displaying the areas covered by each interconnection.
The electric grid is an engineering marvel and was conceived over 100 years ago when electricity needs were simply. Most homes had small energy demands such as a few light bulbs and a radio. However due to its age, the infrastructure requires continuous and extensive upgrades. Several acts have made it possible for billions of dollars to be invested in the modernization of the country’s electric grid. Since 2010, the investments have been used to deploy many advanced devices such as capacitors and feeder switches. However, there is a distinction between a reliable grid and a resilient one. A more reliable grid is one with fewer and shorter power interruptions. A more resilient grid is one better prepared to recover from adverse events like severe weather. Due to its age, the U.S’ electric grid can be said to be neither. Severe weather, such as various storms cause many power outages and costs the economy billions of dollars annually in “lost output and wages, spoiled inventory, delayed production and damage to grid infrastructure.”
To continue moving into the future, the United States needs a new kind of electric grid, one that can handle digital, computerized equipment, and technology that is dependent on it. It is vital that the U.S has a grid that can handle the “increasing complexity and needs of electricity in the 21st Century.”
The smart grid is much like the Internet, and consists of controls, computers, automation, and new technologies and equipment that work together, but in this case, these technologies will work with the electrical grid to respond digitally to quickly changing electric demand.
A new electric grid can have both positives and negatives such as the ones listed below.
PROS:
- More efficient transmission of electricity
- Quicker restoration of electricity after power disturbances
- Reduced operations and management costs for utilities, and ultimately lower power costs for consumers
- Reduced peak demand, which will also help lower electricity rates
- Increased integration of large-scale renewable energy systems
- Better integration of customer-owner power generation systems, including renewable energy systems
- Improved security
CONS:
- Rebuilding the existing electrical grid will be time consuming and expensive.
- The estimated cost of replacing the existing infrastructure is between $13 and $50 billion.
- The real-time pricing of smart meters may negatively affect particular industries.
- Utilizing the internet to provide real time grid data increases the risk of privacy and security breaches.
As the U.S’ need for electricity continues to grow, the need for a new electric grid will be more and more present. The smart grid is but one method to modernize the U.S’ grid. Regardless, major changes will need to be made to the grid in order for it to accommodate the exponential growth in energy consumption.
Sources:
http://securethegrid.com/the-basics-of-grid-security/
http://www.geni.org/globalenergy/library/national_energy_grid/united-states-of-america/americannationalelectricitygrid.shtml
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/10/americas-electricity-grid-outdated-or-underrated
http://www.theenergycollective.com/john-cooper/90021/intolerable-situation-outdated-paradigm
http://articles.latimes.com/2003/aug/15/business/fi-grid15
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_grid
https://www.edf.org/climate/smart-grid-brings-us-power-21st-century