What parts of our daily routines rely upon electricity? For myself, I use electricity both while I am asleep to charge my Smart phone and once I wake up to turn on the lights, make breakfast, and commute to school on the MBTA (subway system in Massachusetts). To look at the broader picture, everything from national sec\urity, health and safety, and many of the activities we enjoy are all fueled by electricity ^[1] .

The National Society of Engineering has called the electric grid on the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century ^[2]   According to the Office of Energy Delivery and Energy Reliability  :“[The electric grid] is an ecosystem of asset owners, manufacturers, service providers, and government officials at Federal, state, and local levels, all working together to run one of the most reliable electrical grids in the world” ^[1] . Physically, this complex system stretches thousands of miles over North America and is made up of a variety of components that include power plants, high and low voltage transmission lines which stretch over long distances to transfer power, distribution lines that carry power to buildings and other points, substations for the transmission and distribution grid, and transformers that change voltages [3] . Whether it is a part of the technology of the grid or those who play a part in managing it, every operation is an important part of keeping the grid functioning.

In recent years, outdated infrastructure has made way for new and more environmentally conscious technologies to be introduced. Updates to the energy grid can “reduce the frequency and duration of power outages, reduce storm impacts, and restore service faster when outages occur” [3] .Consumers also have the ability to manage their own power sources because they are able to opt in to have access to data about power usage in their homes. Updates to the grid could also bring better security and lower generation costs as it affects utilities all of these features are part of what is being called the “Smart Grid”[1] . Sensors called “Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs)” allow the stability of the grid to be assessed and for frequent updates to occur in order to inform consumers. This however, is just the beginning of the development of the Smart Grid. As with most things that affect the general public there is much debate over the pros and cons of the Smart Grid[1] . Although it benefits users, updates will cost all of us tax money and difficulties will have to be dealt with as they arise. Below lists both pros and cons to be considered. Would you support this new technology?

 

Pros:

1. Empowers consumers to be actively involved in managing electricity usage
2. Reduces risks of global warming through smarter energy usage
3. Integrates renewable energy
4. Stability/safety: less risk of blackouts

Cons:

1. Costs of installing new units
2. Lack of pricing clarity as companies make updates due to real-time consumption
3. Potential loss of smart appliance control

 

Sources:

https://energy.gov/oe/activities/technology-development/grid-modernization-and-smart-grid

https://www.nae.edu/Publications/Bridge/TheElectricityGrid/18627.aspx

http://theconversation.com/the-old-dirty-creaky-us-electric-grid-would-cost-5-trillion-to-replace-where-should-infrastructure-spending-go-68290

http://energyinformative.org/what-is-the-smart-grid/