Another "grid" thread

Wind. solar, nuke, coal, gas, hydro, or rubbing sticks together for electric energy. It don't mean a thing if we don't have a grid.

Today's article about the smart grid administered by....Google?
And this NPR article says the stimulus will include 20 billion for the smart grid.

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by RWC1972 on February 11, 2009 at 10:44am

GE is making the big push for smart grid technology, both at the distribution level as well as transmission level.

20 billion is nowhere near enough to get this technology implemented on a large scale but it is a start.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Willmorth on February 11, 2009 at 9:32pm

Will anybody be able to utilize 20B in the next decade?

I think that, while that much money will jumpstart the technology, who will be capable of spending it? Somebody is gonna have to hit the ground running here.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mark Mortensen on February 15, 2009 at 9:26pm

Hi RWC:

I think you are right about the stimulus $20B being a start. Actually, it could be a major part of a $60B interstate transmission grid utilizing 765kV DC lines. Here's a link to an article. Check out what American Electric Energy Corp. has in its plans, too.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2008/07/inters...
Mark

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Debra Goldenberg on February 27, 2009 at 9:36pm

Great article! There is another electric company that just became a partner with the Pickens Plan, also, AEP:

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/...

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Willmorth on February 13, 2009 at 2:25pm

The stimulus plan will fund eight different grid projects administered by Bonneville Power Administration from CA to MT.

Bonneville will be using the money to hook up more wind projects to the existing 59,000 miles of grid in the WSCC.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Willmorth on February 13, 2009 at 2:31pm

This link is for a pdf about one grid developer's take on the future of alternative energy in the 11 western states and 2 new connectors. 1 is between WY and the intertie in Jean, NV, The other connector is the first one linking north and south NV.

National Grid white page

They say they can deliver energy to the desert southwest for around a nickel per kwh cheaper than California can produce on their own...

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Willmorth on February 13, 2009 at 2:54pm

BPA reference in the stimulus plan: Division A, page 65

SEC. 401. BONNEVILLE PO\VER ADMINISTRATION
3 BORRO\\TING AUTHORITY. For the purposes of providing
4 funds to assist in financing the construction, acquisition,
5 and replacement of the transmission system of the Bonne-
6 ville Power Administration and to implement the authority
7 of the Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administra-
8 tion under the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning
9 and Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 839 et seq.), an addi-
10 tional $3,250,000,000 in borrowing authority is made
11 available under the Federal Columbia River Transmission
12 System Act (16 U.S.C. 838 et seq.), to remain outstanding
13 at any time.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mark Mortensen on February 15, 2009 at 9:32pm

$60B will get us a reliable interstate grid of 765kV DC lines that will save upwards of $80B a year in lost productivity due to interruptions and associated losses of time/data. We'll need this kind of to get wind and solar power from source to markets around the country. Here are a couple articles that provide details:
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2008/07/inters...

http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/EETD-power-interruption...

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kevin Carey on February 20, 2009 at 5:48pm

Not only is a modern grid needed for new power technology, but also to sustain the economy and avoid unnecessary emergency situations such as ice storms, tornadoes, hurricanes etc...

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Willmorth on February 26, 2009 at 3:55pm

Green power Superhighways white page from AWEA and SEIA

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Willmorth on March 10, 2009 at 5:01pm

March 10 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. regulators would take from states the authority to approve certain high-voltage power lines in order to speed development of renewable energy, under draft legislation released by a Senate panel today.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by RWC1972 on March 16, 2009 at 1:53pm

There's no telling when these projects will get going though. A lot of the utilities and BPAs, WAPAs, etc. are a bit skittish to spend these funds right now. Hopefully new projects will be released in the near future.