ABOUT
SMART GRID TECHNOLOGIES
THE POWER OF AUTOMATIC METERS
Walk into a newly constructed house, and you might be confronted with a sleek, futuristic-looking meter. This device is the first technological step towards transforming the entire energy grid into a system that communicates with each other. Smart meters will help energy companies aggregate and analyze data in order to better serve customers - further, they will provide the opportunities for users to generate their own data and contribute this to the grid.
EFFICIENCY PROS AND CONS
Not everything that improves efficiency is devoid of consequences, however. Critics of automatic meters and the smart grid are quick to point out that more connections means more surfaces vulnerable to cyberattacks. Aggregating data implies the risk of this data being breached. Furthermore, if it is easy for humans to adjust their home environment on a whim, might this actually increase AC and heating costs if people can adjust the air from their phone?
There are also regulatory barriers that prevent the grid from even reaching this initial point. Some states have legislation inhibiting a two-way energy exchange. Clearly, our system has a ways to go before a reliable smart grid can be deployed in its entirety.
A NEW WORLD NEEDS NEW IDEAS
Policy Highlights + Solutions
There is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to smart grids, but there is also a lot of potential. Budding legislation, increased program funding, and projected investments give promise to this new system of managing our electricity.
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However, it is prudent to be cautious in this initial phase of deployment. Many revolutionary technologies had unprecedented consequences that were not known at the time of their inception - or, in the case of leaded gasoline and oil, the consequences were carefully hidden in the name of profit. If two-way energy systems are to be equitable and democratic, they must be both transparent and secure for all.