Unified Smart Grid
Encyclopedia
Unified National Smart Grid is a proposal for a United States
wide area grid
that is a national interconnected network
relying on a high capacity backbone of electric power transmission
lines linking all the nation's local electrical networks that have been upgraded to smart grids. Europe's analogous project is sometimes referred to as the SuperSmart Grid
, a term that also appears in the literature describing the Unified Smart Grid.
President Barack Obama
asked the United States Congress
"to act without delay" to pass legislation that included doubling renewable energy
production in the next three years and building a new electricity "smart grid".
and distantly located bulk power generation
facilities. The national backbone would be intelligent in a similar way that local smart grid clusters are. As local electricity networks are upgraded to smart grids, interactions with the national backbone can become more coordinated. Examples given of the kinds of coordination are that hydropower from the northwest can be dispatched if wind is expected to temporarily subside in the Dakotas. Discretionary air conditioning in California can be turned on if there are strong winds blowing in Delaware.
Long distance interconnections are not new. The 1400 kilometer Pacific DC Intertie between Los Angeles and the Pacific northwest was proposed in the 1930s and initiated by President John F. Kennedy
in the 60s. The Pacific Intertie carries up to 3.1 gigawatts on two 500 KV overhead lines. The 1200 kilometer Quebec to New England HVDC
line with 2 gigawatts of capacity was constructed in the 1980s. A 5 gigawatt 800KV system is being constructed along the southern provinces of China at a cost of €300 million and is scheduled for completion in 2010
The Unified Smart Grid proposal is not simply a collection of point to point interconnections between regional systems with some communications intelligence. The topology conceptually has many access points with each node being a smart grid that could be a virtual power generation
cluster, could be a local electric utility system, or could be a Grid energy storage
facility.
did for efficient distribution of products. Solar power from Arizona would be able to supply manufacturing in Ohio, or evening wind power from the Northeast could be used to supply power peak demand during the day in Nevada. According to leading scientists such as James E. Hansen, construction of such a national grid is essential to any strategy to combat global warming
. According to energy independence advocates such as T. Boone Pickens, it is essential for the U.S. economy and its strategic energy interests. Some advocate the system as a candidate for a massive public works
project that would stimulate the US economy after the Global financial crisis of 2008.
The "Unified Smart Grid" is promoted by Alliance for Climate Protection
(Repower America program) and Al Gore
. The cost estimate by Al Gore is $400 billion and would be recovered by tariffs on transmission. The need for a national bulk transmission grid is detailed in T. Boone Pickens's energy independence plan
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
wide area grid
Super grid
A super grid is a wide area transmission network that makes it possible to trade high volumes of electricity across great distances. It is sometimes also referred to as a "mega grid".-History:...
that is a national interconnected network
Wide area synchronous grid
A wide area synchronous grid, also called an "interconnection" in North America, is a power grid at a regional scale or greater that operates at a synchronized frequency and is electrically tied together during normal system conditions...
relying on a high capacity backbone of electric power transmission
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
lines linking all the nation's local electrical networks that have been upgraded to smart grids. Europe's analogous project is sometimes referred to as the SuperSmart Grid
SuperSmart Grid
The SuperSmart Grid is a hypothetical wide area electricity network connecting Europe with northern Africa, the Middle East, Turkey and the IPS/UPS system of CIS countries. The system would unify super grid and smart grid capabilities into a comprehensive network...
, a term that also appears in the literature describing the Unified Smart Grid.
President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
asked the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
"to act without delay" to pass legislation that included doubling renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
production in the next three years and building a new electricity "smart grid".
Technical features
High capacity transmission such as current technology 800KV high voltage direct current lines would span the country providing linkages to local electric utilitiesElectric utility
An electric utility is a company that engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major provider of energy in most countries. It is indispensable to factories, commercial establishments,...
and distantly located bulk power generation
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
facilities. The national backbone would be intelligent in a similar way that local smart grid clusters are. As local electricity networks are upgraded to smart grids, interactions with the national backbone can become more coordinated. Examples given of the kinds of coordination are that hydropower from the northwest can be dispatched if wind is expected to temporarily subside in the Dakotas. Discretionary air conditioning in California can be turned on if there are strong winds blowing in Delaware.
Long distance interconnections are not new. The 1400 kilometer Pacific DC Intertie between Los Angeles and the Pacific northwest was proposed in the 1930s and initiated by President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in the 60s. The Pacific Intertie carries up to 3.1 gigawatts on two 500 KV overhead lines. The 1200 kilometer Quebec to New England HVDC
Quebec - New England Transmission
The Quebec – New England Transmission is a long-distance high-voltage direct current line between Radisson, Quebec and Sandy Pond in Ayer, Massachusetts...
line with 2 gigawatts of capacity was constructed in the 1980s. A 5 gigawatt 800KV system is being constructed along the southern provinces of China at a cost of €300 million and is scheduled for completion in 2010
The Unified Smart Grid proposal is not simply a collection of point to point interconnections between regional systems with some communications intelligence. The topology conceptually has many access points with each node being a smart grid that could be a virtual power generation
Virtual power plant
A virtual power plant is a cluster of distributed generation installations which are collectively run by a central control entity....
cluster, could be a local electric utility system, or could be a Grid energy storage
Grid energy storage
Grid energy storage refers to the methods used to store electricity on a large scale within an electrical power grid. Electrical energy is stored during times when production exceeds consumption and the stores are used at times when consumption exceeds production...
facility.
Advocacy
According to advocates, the idea of a national system would do for the US energy economy what Dwight Eisenhower's Interstate Highway SystemInterstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
did for efficient distribution of products. Solar power from Arizona would be able to supply manufacturing in Ohio, or evening wind power from the Northeast could be used to supply power peak demand during the day in Nevada. According to leading scientists such as James E. Hansen, construction of such a national grid is essential to any strategy to combat global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. According to energy independence advocates such as T. Boone Pickens, it is essential for the U.S. economy and its strategic energy interests. Some advocate the system as a candidate for a massive public works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
project that would stimulate the US economy after the Global financial crisis of 2008.
The "Unified Smart Grid" is promoted by Alliance for Climate Protection
Alliance for Climate Protection
The Alliance for Climate Protection was founded in 2006 by Nobel laureate and former United States Vice President Al Gore. The Alliance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to educating the global community about the urgency of implementing comprehensive solutions to the climate crisis...
(Repower America program) and Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
. The cost estimate by Al Gore is $400 billion and would be recovered by tariffs on transmission. The need for a national bulk transmission grid is detailed in T. Boone Pickens's energy independence plan
Pickens Plan
The Pickens Plan is an energy policy proposal announced July 8, 2008 by American businessman T. Boone Pickens. Pickens wants to reduce American dependence on imported oil by investing approximately $US1 trillion in new wind turbine farms for power generation, which he believes would allow the...
.
See also
- Wide area synchronous gridWide area synchronous gridA wide area synchronous grid, also called an "interconnection" in North America, is a power grid at a regional scale or greater that operates at a synchronized frequency and is electrically tied together during normal system conditions...
- Smart grid
- SuperSmart GridSuperSmart GridThe SuperSmart Grid is a hypothetical wide area electricity network connecting Europe with northern Africa, the Middle East, Turkey and the IPS/UPS system of CIS countries. The system would unify super grid and smart grid capabilities into a comprehensive network...
- Super gridSuper gridA super grid is a wide area transmission network that makes it possible to trade high volumes of electricity across great distances. It is sometimes also referred to as a "mega grid".-History:...
- Pickens planPickens PlanThe Pickens Plan is an energy policy proposal announced July 8, 2008 by American businessman T. Boone Pickens. Pickens wants to reduce American dependence on imported oil by investing approximately $US1 trillion in new wind turbine farms for power generation, which he believes would allow the...
- V2G