Comments on: Obama Picks Projects to Smarten Up the Electricity Grid

By: fred edison

fred edison — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:14:19 +0000

The infrastructure of the current electrical grid is akin to a highway that carries more and more traffic but isn’t updated to support and manage the increased traffic. These updates have to be accomplished to meet our growing electrical energy demands. It’s not as if they are doing it just to frivolously waste money.

Smart meters report power outages automatically, and provide real time feedback to the utility companies with more relevant data, which allows them to more finely tune their electrical output production, and thereby reduce unnecessary power generation, which in turn lowers CO2 emissions into the atmosphere because less coal has to be burned. Sounds good to me.

By: Electrified

Electrified — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:39:17 +0000

Most people in the state that I reside pay a flat rate per kilowat hour used. So taking steps to reduce usage during peak hours will not effect their electricity bill.
If you watch your electric bill every month and/or check your usage online as most electric utilities offer, then you can easily predict when you are using the most electricity. If you want to monitor you electric usage to lower the consumption, then this method is just as efficient as installing these expensive devices into your homes.
IMHO, this project is a big waste of the tax payer’s dollars. The money would be put to better use towards a better electricity monitoring team to make outages fewer and less time to get power back up and running.

By: Funky chicken

Funky chicken — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:16:44 +0000

Kate’s right. The Texas two step is no way to deal with our nations energy needs. Any fool should see that the electric glide is more appropriate. Heck, even the Lindy hop will accomplish more than the same ole two step.

By: katesisco

katesisco — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:54:31 +0000

Buy an electric car, the government says such demand requires more power, new power plants are built (same-0ld, same-old) by passing new regs as needed immediately due to power demand by the electric cars. Note that there is no plan to build a new cross-nation freight line to replace the LA to NY long-haul trucking which use diesel.

Another Texas Two-Step sideways instead of forward. And if a CME does smack Earth, guess what will fry? Hint: the diesels will not be affected.

By: Mike Licht

Mike Licht — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:28:17 +0000

What’s the biggest threat to America’s power grid?

See:

http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/terrorists-strike-u-s-infrastructure/