NEW ENERGY NEEDS A NEW GRID

Want More Wind And Solar Energy? Invest A Lot More In The Grid

Ken Silverstein, April 13, 2015 (Forbes)

"Want to increase the use of green energy and reduce the level of harmful emissions? Invest heavily in the grid to both modernize and expand it, which will accomplish such aims while also building the US economy…[according to energy and utility experts at the recent Public Utilities Fortnightly conference]…A smarter and more extensive grid that is able to distribute greener power is expensive. But the benefits of creating a modern infrastructure are huge…For every $1 invested in the nation’s [bulk power system made up of 10,000 power plants, 170,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, nearly 6 million miles of low-voltage distribution lines, and 15,000 substations], as much as $6 is returned, not to mention the 47,000 new jobs since 2012…[Also, t]hose who run electricity systems can now apply algorithms to tell operators which units to run and where to avoid congestion on the lines, all of which favors wind and solar energy that is variable in nature…The pressure to increase the use of renewables will only intensify, in part because of EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent by 2030…[Network expansion will be necessary but] it is an effort and an investment that will pay off…” click here for more

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