Fix the Grid, Fuel the Economy

[Rick Rowlands]

I'm breathless with anticipation of learning what the "big picture" is!

[Dan Moadus]

Dear reader. Please note the childish pattern of behavior by Dennis. He cuts and paste an article that he thinks makes a point. Rick points out some shortcomings in the article in an intelligent fashion and what does Dennis come back with? "Ricky-Poo....you ever going to see the big picture?"

Also please note: I offered factual criticism of his behavior. Watch as he responds with a taunt, insult, or name.

[irishbobcat]

Ricky-Poo....you ever going to see the big picture? 

[Why?Town]

It's interesting to note that the majority of the article discusses infrastructure and seems to be based on information from the ASCE but when the topic turns to renewable energy the sources become "a study" and "a report".

[Rick Rowlands]

Two points:

1. Power companies have been investing billions in new pollution control equipment at power plants.  These investments do not create a single additional megawatt of power, nor do they increase the capacity of the grid.  Therefore, power companies may not have the resources to construct new transmission lines right now.

2.  Any plan to construct new transmission lines will be met with fierce opposition from NIMBYs and environmentalists, drastically increasing the cost or resulting in dropping of plans altogether. 

[irishbobcat]

Fix the Grid, Fuel the Economy
Fix the Grid, Fuel the Economy
Posted Thursday, January 13, 2011 ; 06:00 AM | View Comments | Post Comment
Updated Thursday, January 13, 2011; 10:05 AM



Pat Esposito says the nation must fix its energy infrastrusture.
Story by Pat Esposito
Through the decades, energy infrastructure has been essential to America's prosperity. We witnessed reliable electricity power our industrial economy during the last century. Unfortunately, the situation has changed in recent years.

Last year, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the United States a grade of "D+" for energy infrastructure maintenance. The major investments made in the early-to-mid 20th century were good for that period of time; however, investments have not met today's needs. Demand has outpaced investment and congestion has grown. The results are disruptions that threaten electricity reliability, economic growth, job creation and our way of life.

While major power outages may capture public attention, the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab found that 67 percent of disruptions are momentary. You may not realize they have occurred, but these every-day interruptions in service result in billions of dollars in losses. The Electric Power Research Institute estimated that electricity disruptions cost the economy up to $100 billion per year.

This situation puts us on shaky ground. The electricity grid requires new investments and new ways of thinking.

We must lay a foundation for sustainable, long-term growth, a cornerstone of which is adequate intrastate and interstate electricity transmission capacity. Maintaining adequate capacity means upgrading our infrastructure, including building new transmission lines here in West Virginia. Adequate capacity also means installing new, superior technologies that change the nature of transmission.

New power lines result in more effective and efficient transmission than ever before. They also make better use of electricity generation facilities. This is an important improvement over the status quo. More efficient transmission means less wasted electricity, which is less costly for customers and electricity producers.

New, better transmission investments also make the electricity infrastructure more resilient. A resilient electricity system enables grid operators to reroute power when a problem develops, creating more paths for power delivery. If there is a problem here, power can be rerouted from there.

All customers benefit from a resilient interstate transmission system -- even those who may not use a specific transmission path day-to-day -- because opportunities for maintaining electricity in the event of a problem are greatly enhanced. More reliable power is good for businesses and communities.

A better transmission system also allows for greater integration of renewable resources like wind and solar as part of a total solution that includes energy from coal, gas and other resources.

A great deal has been made about the U.S.'s potential for renewable energy. According to a study, 20 percent of the nation's electricity demand could be met by wind energy by 2030. But, wind energy isn't located where customers demand electricity the most. It exists in remote locations, away from population centers. The same tends to be true of solar energy and other resources like geothermal energy.

These renewable resources demand significant transmission investments in order for their electricity to reach customers. According to a report, there's a 300,000 megawatt backlog of wind projects awaiting connection to the grid because of inadequate transmission capacity. And think about the demands on the grid if plug-in electric cars become the norm. Greener forms of energy, which support energy independence and self-reliance, require increased transmission capacity.

If we are to maintain economic growth and electricity reliability, we must address the shortcomings of the grid. Constructing a secure, efficient, reliable grid is America's next great challenge. We have the knowledge to improve our electricity transmission system; we just need the political, economic and societal will to do it.

Despite the current economic downturn, we remain rich in innovation and ingenuity. These traits have earned us an A+ throughout our history. We deserve better than a D+ for our energy infrastructure. We must seize the opportunity to fix the transmission system now, before the problems become worse. The cost of complacency is too high to ignore.

Pat Esposito has more than three decades of experience in energy and technology. He served as an energy adviser to two governors and holds a doctorate in engineering from West Virginia University.