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| Emissions Reductions & the Grid |
| Law makers seem convinced that there is no way to reduce emissions from the major source of such emissions in this country on a point by point basis. The source is automobiles. But if you make everyone drive and electric plug-in vehicle then the source is then transfered to major points that are manageable, electric power plants. The porblem then is transmission of that power and determining the fuel to power them. Since the policy makers seem unlikely to change their archaic stance on Nuclear Power, it will remain fossil fueled and in either case will require an enormous transmission system. The question is who will blink first. |
| Guy P Rennaker, Jr. - 05/13/2008 - 05:44 |
| Need definition of the smart grid |
| The "smart grid" sounds like a good plan. But the definition seem fuzzy. Perhaps we should smarten up the demand end by having technology capable of controlling use. Start with a limit on the amount of power per square foot of building space for both commercial and residential. The european model puts a hard cap on electric consumption. Perhaps the American model should be a very significant demand charge above a soft cap. Perhaps residential limits should be fixed regardless of home size. Just like the current penalty paid by SUV drivers, the large homes should have the same "opportunity" to look for ways to reduce. . Then after we get this under control, we may find the transmission corridor becomes managable. |
| Gale Horst - 05/13/2008 - 06:00 |
| National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC |
| Distributive generation, although appearing to be the most efficient sitting of generation-to-load assets, is not our nation's final answer to a low-cost energy investment. Low-cost energy, while maintaining reliability, security, and adequacy of our nation's energy resources, may best be realized from a socialized planning perspective as our energy leaders propose solutions from an inter-regional or national grid study process. The cost of energy across our nation's grid can be at least four (4) times the lowest Locational Marginal Price (LMP). Not only is there a production cost for energy; there is also an energy delivery cost, and market bid incremental cost. This energy delivery cost is what can separate high- and low- cost energy. Presently there is transmission delivery constraints or "congestion" preventing our nation from moving low-cost energy from west to east. National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) are solutions for grid energy delivery and economic congestion. NIETCs provide economic energy delivery solutions while allowing sitting of our nation's most efficient generation energy assets, in locations which support those energy assets: wind, nuclear, hydro, and geo-thermal, coal, and the lowest-cost fossil fuels. It is more efficient to site wind generation where there is more wind, and coal generation where there is more coal. For example, our nation's west and northwest regions support wind generation due to higher wind capacity, in some places four (4) times as high. It is more efficient and more "Green" logically to site these generation assets in these locations, while developing NIETCs to deliver this energy across our nation's "super highways" thereby socializing the costs of our energy delivery assets across our nation. This could have an averaging effect for the cost of energy across our nation; securing our economy, while minimizing our costs for grid network improvements. It is more in our nation's interest to move energy across our electrical grid rather then moving people an industry across our nation in their pursuit of low-cost energy. |
| Alfred B. Corbett - 05/13/2008 - 06:33 |
| I thought smart grid meant less transmission, not more |
| To say that the Wilderness Society is trying to stop the smart grid is a complete contradiction in terms. The whole purpose behind "smart grid" technologies is to utilize our existing transmission and distribution system better. The goal is to reduce energy whenever possible and shift energy use patterns to eliminate the need to build more powerlines or new peaking powerplants. |
| James White - 05/13/2008 - 08:14 |
| energy grid and a smart plan |
| I suggest people google the "Smart Energy 2020" plan put out by the Sierra Club and electrical enegineer Bill Powers for the city of San Diego in the state of California. It is worth your perusal. The plan is truly smart and not for our profit- driven energy companies. The whole country is under the yoke of our shareholding energy companies.... |
| kathleen beck - 05/13/2008 - 10:07 |
| Transmission and Renewable Energy |
| Ultimately we will rely on renewable energy. (Once we have either used up all of the fossil fuels or deemed that we can no longer release fossil carbon into the atmosphere). Large scale renewable sources will require much more transmission than we have now. The environmentalist extremists are doing and saying things that will eventually hurt their cause because it they would delay our adoption of renewables and either make the country poorer or cause us to release more fossil carbon into the atmosphere. They must remember that if they cause economic damage they will anger most of the people of the country. Also, poor countries typically have poorer environments too. That crack about 'profit-driven energy companies' is unhelpful. There were no profit making companies in the Soviet Union at the time of the Chernobyl accident. |
| James L. Kirtley Jr. - 05/20/2008 - 16:00 |
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