The Voice - Student Newspaper

Smart Grid technology cuts down on energy costs

By Sergio Vaquera
Reporter, The VOICE

Aside from the harsh economic situation, global warming has been a critical topic in this country. You can see it everywhere; more people are looking to "go green."

Everything from hybrid cars to energy efficient light bulbs, the rush to cut down on wasting and stopping the spread of harmful gases is in full swing.

President Obama has been on the offensive, seeking $39 billion for the Department of Energy and $20 billion in tax incentives for clean energy, all of which is a part of the $787 billion stimulus package.

Such a device to help with the crisis is a smart grid. You may have seen the recent commercials on television for IBM's smart grid proposal.

A smart grid drives the electricity between the supplier and consumer using digital technology. The goal is to get you, the consumer, to use less electricity during high demand conditions.

The price of electricity will increase as the demand does making you want to use less. The price is adjusted lower when low demand conditions are in affect. The less electricity used the lower the prices. The idea is to get you to better manage your energy needs and the reward is having less money taken from your bank account.

The grid uses real-time information that can help identify problems early on and help it prevent or lessen a power outage. Such technologies also help identify man-made or natural disruptions quickly so operators can isolate affected areas and direct the power to areas that require it.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was passed in mid-February, has enabled the government to set aside $11 billion for the creation of a smart grid.

The Asea Brown Boveri (ABB group) began work with the Arizona Public Service (APS) last summer in order to build a smart grid as part of their Distribution Operations Management System or DOMS project. The project has been in affect since late February in certain areas.

For more information, visit www.aps.com.

Please send comments to svaquera@gccvoice.com