![]() According to a 2014 report by the GridWise Alliance for the U.S. The grid will continue to be central to the future energy system. Some smart meters can monitor the electricity generated by small-scale energy producers, so the excess energy they feed into the grid may be credited, to be claimed later when they need it. “Smart” meters allow communication between the consumer and the utility company so the utility can monitor usage and be alerted to outages. High-capacity batteries and other sophisticated technologies have been introduced, and more are being developed. It can also be independent of any big power system - useful in remote areas because minimal infrastructure is required.Įnergy storage technology helps integrate intermittent renewables such as solar and wind into the power grid, saving excess energy generated during daylight hours or on windy days for use later. If there is a power outage on the regular grid, a microgrid fed by nearby distributed energy resources can keep the lights on. Microgrids distribute energy locally and can connect with the regular grid or not, depending on the circumstances. The need to integrate distributed energy resources with the regular grid is spurring new ways to manage energy: Renewable energy technologies are changing power grids all over the world as the traditional centralized power grid is making room for energy innovations. But if the grid is modern, or “smart” enough, these small producers can make money on their excess electricity. ![]() Small-scale distributed power producers - solar panels or wind turbines on or near homes or commercial buildings - generate electricity to be used on the premises. (State Dept./Doug Thompson) How renewables are changing - and charging - the grid This is “load balancing.” Electricity inputs from distributed energy resources are new power streams that grid operators are learning to integrate and balance with the demand load. These mechanisms automatically monitor and dispatch electricity. Grid operators employ sophisticated mechanisms to increase or decrease power generation to match consumer demand. Balancing those voltage loads is where power grid management becomes tricky, because the energy flow must be perfectly balanced at all times to provide exactly the right amount of electricity to customers. There are peak demand-load periods: at night when more lights are on, or the hottest or coldest times of day. The total usage by customers is the “demand load,” which must be supplied by power providers. When people use electricity for their lights, computers, appliances, heating and cooling they are drawing on the electrical grid. When the electricity reaches customers’ neighborhoods, transformers convert the high-voltage electricity to a lower voltage for distribution to homes and businesses. The higher the voltage, the less current needed for the same amount of power, and thus less loss of electricity (resistance to current in the lines creates heat that causes some loss). Typically, electricity is transmitted at a very high voltage over the power lines that dot the countryside. The network of transmission and distribution facilities makes up the power grid. (State Dept./Doug Thompson) Transmission and distributionĪfter electricity is generated, it must be transmitted and distributed to consumers. They are also cheaper, because they generate electricity closer to home, which means fewer long power transmission lines and other expensive grid infrastructure. That’s why renewable energy is so important: Sun, wind and other renewable resources are inexhaustible and clean. And nuclear power plants use the metal uranium which, like fossil fuel, is nonrenewable and can be a dangerous environmental pollutant. That’s a good thing, because fossil fuels release harmful greenhouse gases when they burn, which hasten global warming. ![]() Today there are more and cleaner options for energy generation. Once upon a time, electricity was generated only at central power stations, which usually ran off fossil fuels - coal or natural gas - or nuclear energy. The power grid starts in the places where electricity is made. Most people know that those are power transmission lines, but they may not know they are looking at part of the power grid. Everybody’s seen those tall towers strung with wires that stretch across the landscape.
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