However, it feels like we are still waiting for the big news or at least some news that propels us forward… We still do not have any set standards, we do not have the word from the major utilities that they will allow third party involvement and an open source approach towards the new smart grid. And possibly most of all we do not have a good solution for the potential cyber security risks that a recklessly designed smart grid may introduce. Without these answers and more we cannot expect many new companies to jump in head over heels. A smart grid run as todays grid is will mean complete domination by a few major players. They will make the rules and right the standards. The money will exchange only a few hands and the big players will maintain control of their grid. If this happens the smart grid will never evolve into a new way to use power. Instead it will just be more sales of more advanced equipment by the big players who are already involved.

Only time will tell, and who knows I may be writing a similar article to this one in twelve short months!

When we think about the major carbon offenders we get pictures of large coal, natural gas, and oil burning generation plants or maybe over sized SUV’s with 1 passenger in each of them on a crowded highway on a 90 degree day. We seldom think about people, animals, plants or anything else with a natural life cycle on this earth that produces carbon dioxide. We do not usually think about the carbon heavy hot springs bubbling away below the snow covered volcanic peak with plumes of smoke rising, both of which are producing carbon dioxide. Basically, the more people, the more carbon dioxide… I do not see us anytime soon rushing to cut back on the population to reduce our carbon footprint or doing away with the rest of the life on this planet. And even if we could, which we cannot, we would not rush to stop the natural cycle of the earth’s plates shifting and volcanoes erupting, this may be catastrophic to the evolution of our planet.

The idea that the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by man made functions may be causing global warming may someday be proven invalid. Or on the other hand, the earth may actually become noticably warmer in the next 100 – 10000 years, the ice caps will melt and the coasts of the continents will flood. Scholars will ponder whether the additional carbon from man made processes created this disaster or if the natural cycle of the earth is just that way.

So how does this whole rant tie into the smart grid? First off let me clarify and say that I am a fan of reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and cutting back on unnecessary spewing of carbon into the earth’s atmosphere. I also like the idea of incorporating more renewables and energy storage systems into our existing electrical grid. These are part of the overall smart grid initiative. The smart grid will also allow us to become more aware of our real time usage and cut back on the use of electrical devices and appliances during high demand times when the fossil fuel generators are running full steam.

Stay posted and check out the NIST website for info on the smart grid standards.

When we speak of the carbon footprint we think of coal burning, oil, emissions and smog. Much of the generation that produces the electricity we use during peak times comes from burning these types of fossil fuels. Remember, just because you do not see the emissions rising from your home AC during a hot afternoon doesn’t mean that the electricity it uses came without leaving any trace at all. Some generation is clean, hydro, wind, solar, even nuclear in some ways have many benefits when it comes to eco friendliness. The problem is that it is difficult to incorporate some of the less consistent methods of generating electricity mentioned above. The smart grid will help to allow more additions of smaller alternative energy generators in greater numbers.

Another benefit of the smart grid initiative is the idea of helping to eliminate the high demand peaks. These very high use times are short lived however they make up much of the costs and emissions associated with electricity generation. Smart meters will help people become aware of their use and enable the utilities to let consumers know when we are in a peak demand time. Using dynamic pricing models or price discounts and passing the costs or savings on to the consumer will allow us to cut back on the peak generation.

If the grid were just 5% more efficient, the energy savings would equate to permanently eliminating the fuel and greenhouse gas emissions from 53 million cars.
http://www.oe.energy.gov

Overall when the smart grid is rolled out in larger areas it will help reduce our impact on earth.

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 19, 2010 — Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is presenting a smart
grid-compatible clothes dryer demonstration unit during the International Builders’
Show (IBS) in Las Vegas January 19-22, 2010. The Whirlpool smart dryer demonstration
illustrates how smart grid-compatible dryers will operate in consumers’ homes,
reacting intelligently to peak-demand signals from a smart electrical grid and
automatically modifying energy consumption. The smart dryer demonstration – shown by
Whirlpool Corporation product experts, and accompanied by an interactive smart
appliance simulation – offers a preview of the various smart grid-compatible
appliances Whirlpool Corporation has pledged to manufacture in the near future.
Whirlpool Corporation’s recent commitment to produce 1 million smart appliances by
the end of 2011 is a significant step toward the company’s larger commitment to make
all the electronic appliances it produces, throughout the world, smart
grid-compatible by the end of 2015. This timeline is dependent on the development by
the end of 2010 of an open, global standard and appropriate policies to reward
consumers, manufacturers and utilities. Helping to accelerate the work the company
is doing, Whirlpool Corporation was recently awarded a $19.33 million federal
matching grant by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Smart Grid Investment Grant
program.
From: Whirlpool PR

One of the ideas behind the smart grid is to help people identify peak use times and cut back on power use to save money. However, on the other hand if a household’s power use does not cut back during these times they may be subject to much higher costs. The answer to these changes is education. Grounded Power’s products and services can help with this.

Here is a quick video from their website:

Once these meters are in place a rate program will most likely come along. These rate programs are designed to help cut back on peak demands during the most heavy electrical use days of the year. Most of these heavy use days come in the summer due to air conditioning units, large residential and commercial appliances, pool pumps, etc…

In order to cut back residential use a rate hike in electrical prices will occur during peak use hours. Visit the smart grid glossary for an example of the electrical demand curve during a summer day.

The utility PG&E has launched a “SmartRate” program to allow people to receive a discount on their normal electrical rate and in return these customers participate in up to 15 “SmartDays” a year where the electrical rate becomes more expensive during peak times. People who actively cut back their electrical use during these “SmartDays” can save throughout the year.

What is the Summer Pricing Plan?
The SmartRate™ Summer Pricing Plan offers you a new way to save money on your summer electric bills while also benefiting the environment. For no more than 15 days—what we call SmartDays™, we’ll notify you to manage your energy use between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. By controlling your energy usage during high-demand periods on SmartDays, you’ll help prevent the need to purchase “dirty” power from inefficient power plants that can be damaging to the environment.
From: PG&E Smart Rate

Check out the PG&E website for more details, plan eligibility, rates, and more.

The smart meter is a meter that can communicate from the utility to the consumer and also from the consumer to the utility. The smart meter can recieve pricing data real time and will be able to relay it to household appliances. It can recieve demand response signals to help reduce the load on the electrical system in an emergency and help prevent the need for load shedding or rolling blackouts.

One more very important function of the smart meter is that it will report when your power is out. Believe it or not, for many utilities around the country in some areas the first notification they get that the power is out is phone calls from people! With smart meters the notification to the utility operators that there is an outage will be instant. The information from the meters will help the utility diagnose how large the outage is and also where the problem is that caused the outage.

In summary the smart meter will help utilities increase reliability and outage response.