What Is Smart Grid Technology?
The smart grid isn't a concrete object; it's a strategy or concept aimed at helping consumers and electric utility companies use and deliver power more efficiently. Smart grid technologies make the current electricity system and power grid more consumer-oriented and computerized, allowing customers to monitor energy use real-time in their own home. Does this Spark an idea?
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Features
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Smart grid technologies include programmable thermostats installed in your home that show how much energy you're using and how much it costs on a daily basis, for example. Consumers using these so-called "smart" thermostats can set the gadgets to save energy when not at home and lower utility bills, for example, according to CNet News.
Significance
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With smart thermostats that allow wireless two-way communication between the customer and the power company, a power company can also connect to your thermostat and adjust it a degree or two up or down at peak hours when electricity is most in demand and therefore most expensive, according to a May 2010 article in "Capitol Ideas" magazine. This will also help prevent blackouts caused when the power grid is overloaded.
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Investments
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The federal government is pumping billions of dollars into the U.S. economy earmarked for developing the smart grid and smart grid technologies. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included more than $3.3 billion in grants for the technology and another $615 million for smart grid storage, monitoring and technology viability, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit vertical electric meters image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
