On Thursday August 14, 2003, nearly seven years ago, over 45 million people were left in the dark in the United States after a massive widespread power outage occurred. People across the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Ontario, Canada, including Albany and upstate New York, were affected and some were left without power for days.
August 14th was a seasonably hot day across much of the affected region and the high temperatures played a role in the initial event that triggered the massive blackout. Energy demand was increased throughout the afternoon, as people turned on fans and air conditioners to stay cool. This caused the power lines to sag as higher currents heated the lines.
At first, many thought there might be terrorism involved, since only two years before, our nation suffered the largest terrorist attack in its history on September 11, 2001, but after this was ruled out, the investigation began. Ultimately, many problems cascaded simultaneously to cause the massive blackout. A computer failure, overgrown trees, missed alarms, and tripped power lines all were noted as causes.
So this leaves the question, has anything changed? Is our power grid improved at all from the massive failure in 2003? Are we using more or less power than we were in 2003?
In one of the hottest summer's in our nation's recorded history, a way of updating our power system called "Smart Grid" is being introduced. Smart Grid is a way of installing two-way digital technology on our electric meters, so the power companies can monitor usage on the grid and relay electricity from where it's not being used to where it's needed. The Smart Grid also employs the use of more renewable energy in the grid, such as solar and wind power, along with energy conservation methods.
The Smart Grid is a relatively new and complex feature, and one main issue is who is to foot the bill for this massive new technology. The government says the taxpayers should pay, but should we? Is Smart Grid a smart idea, what do you think? Give your feedback and comments below...
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Comments
Well, Smart Grid will need of an hour, I would say. Just like the introduction of computer and internet has added intelligence in many aspect of our day to day life, Smart Grid will add intelligence to electricity distribution, usage, and generation. Without Smart Grid it will be difficult to integrate Green energy to the Grid. Just like any other technology, Smart Grid also has numerous challenges to overcome before we will see its real benefits. Should the taxpayer pay?, partially we need to pay if not fully, a mechanism should be developed which will allow flexible payments.
www.smartgrid-for-india.blogspot.com
Unsure about the smart grid but I have something similar installed by the electric company on my A/C system - basically it is a cost and energy saving unit which will suspend ac use for a few minutes.
Smart grid interfaced with a 1940's power grid? The U.S has privitized its power distribution years ago but wants to publicize the cost of upgrades? And most Americans accept this as legite!.... A smart grid is not the only "smart upgrade" needed in the fascist country
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