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Smart Meters Allow For Smarter Grid
There are significant and encouraging efforts here in Minnesota to increase energy efficiency and reduce energy use across residential, commercial and industrial sectors, from Conservation Improvement Programs to benchmarking public buildings. As people, buildings, appliances and vehicles use energy more efficiently, the next step will be to make our energy grid operate in more effective and interactive ways. This is especially true for electric cooperatives in mostly rural areas with diverse and widely dispersed consumers.
One way to do this is by implementing smart meters in homes and businesses to help construct a comprehensive smart grid. These meters can reduce operations and maintenance costs for utilities, give grid operators near-real-time data to respond to power outages and restorations, and provide consumers more detailed, consistent usage information.
Two utilities that provide energy to Minnesota consumers, Minnesota Power and Sioux Valley Southwestern Electric Cooperative, currently have pilot programs funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Demonstration Program to install smart meters in rural Minnesota. Great River Energy, partnered with Lake Region Electric Cooperative and Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative, has just received similar funding to install smart meters and other smart grid technology.
Although there are significant benefits to smart meters, the biggest challenge to current and future efforts to integrate them into the energy grid will be communication with consumers. Small but increasingly organized and vocal groups of citizens have sprung up throughout the country where utilities have tried to install smart meters in homes. These groups, from California to Michigan to outside Chicago, are concerned about the privacy of their electricity use, health impacts of the radio-transmitting smart meters, and potential increases in their utility bills.
In response, utilities in many states are offering opt-out programs that charge customers a fee to keep and maintain their old meter, but these programs have garnered little interest. Despite opposition from these groups, investment in smart grid technologies by utilities totaled $15.4 billion through the first quarter, and the Institute for Electric Efficiency (a research group financed by investor-owned utilities) reports that as of September 2011 roughly 27 million smart meters have already been installed in the U.S.
The future of Minnesota’s energy generation, transmission and distribution requires a grid that delivers energy effectively and efficiently. The interactive nature, real-time data possibilities and consumer energy use awareness that smart meters provide improve our grid’s ability to handle increased demand, new generation sources and promote energy conservation efforts.
Photo: wikimedia commons
Posted in Economic Development | Related Topics: Energy Energy Efficiency Technology Sustainability
4 Comments
May 26, 2012 at 11:37 pm
American Academy of Envir. Medicine Calls for Immediate Caution re Smart Meter Installation ... Cites Human Health Impacts of Chronic Exposure to Radiofrequency (RF) - MarketWatch - May 23, 2012:
- http://www.marketwatch.com/story/american-academy-of-environmental-medicine-calls-for-immediate-caution-regarding-smart-meter-installationcites-human-health-impacts-of-chronic-exposure-to-radiofrequency-rf-2012-05-23
Maine Justices grill attorneys over PUC decision on ‘smart’ meters by David Harry - The Forecaster - May 10, 2012:
- http://www.theforecaster.net/news/print/2012/05/10/justices-grill-attorneys-over-puc-decision-smart-m/122609
Jerry Day Interview: Smart Meters & the Global Spy Grid (NSA) 4.12.2012 by ResistNWOrder - April 15, 2012:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoxUiPZjsNg&feature=relate
Smart Meter Lawsuits Multiplying - Stop Smart Meters! - April 13, 2012:
- http://stopsmartmeters.org/2012/04/13/smart-meter-lawsuits-multiplying/
Environmental Physicians Issue Stern Warning on Biological and Health Effects from Electromagnetic Field Exposures - Electromagnetic Health.org - April 12, 2012:
- http://electromagnetichealth.org/electromagnetic-health-blog/aaem-report/
Hacking Expert David Chalk Joins Urgent Call to Halt Smart Grid - Business Wire - MarketWatch - April 12, 2012:
- http://www.marketwatch.com/story/hacking-expert-david-chalk-joins-urgent-call-to-halt-smart-grid-2012-04-12
Big business ignores smart meter security risks for short term profit - Companies push dicey rushed roll outs by Andrea Petrou - TechEye - April 11, 2012:
- http://news.techeye.net/security/big-business-ignores-smart-meter-security-risks-for-short-term-profit
CIA Head: We Will Spy On Americans Through Electrical Appliances - Global information surveillance grid being constructed; willing Americans embrace gadgets used to spy on them by Steve Watson - Infowars.com - March 16, 2012:
- http://www.infowars.com/cia-head-we-will-spy-on-americans-through-electrical-appliances/
May 26, 2012 at 11:25 pm
Utility customers around the world are fighting against installation of smart meters, especially wireless, for the same reasons:
- cost
- health
- higher utility bills
- privacy
- safety
- security
Utility commissions need to listen to the customers. State Senators need to listen to their constituents. Legal cases are being pursued in many provinces, states, and countries.
It all boils down to democracy.
Opt-outs are happening here:
- Quebec
- Netherlands
- UK (United Kingdom)
- USA (California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, Vermont)
And the State of Victoria, Australia is demanding a Moratorium because of smart meter explosions and fires.
But realize that even if someone opts out of a smart meter, they will still be exposed and bombarded by RF (EMR) 24/7, 360 degrees from all smart meters in the vicinity. Wi-Max to be used in rural areas is particularly strong so as to provide coverage over rough topography, through mountains, trees, plants, and buildings.
Governments are allowing utilities to use world citizens as guinea pigs in a huge experiment. Here is an interesting video:
We Are EMR Guinea Pigs by minivanjack - YouTube - April 02, 2012:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i2uXhKLFys&feature=player_embedded
A global “Smart Grid” program is being implemented which is blasting homes and businesses with more electromagnetic radiation than human beings have ever been subject to in human history. It is utterly preposterous to assume this will not lead to major human epidemics.
We must now face the very serious problem that the institutions, government, corporations and foundations, that are supposed to be serving our interests are deliberately violating, exploiting and endangering us.
This video exposes electromagnetic radiation (EMR) as a major danger and violation to all current and future generations.
Sponsored by FreedomTaker (d’o't’c'o’m)
May 22, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Please look into why people in many states, Canada and Europe are protesting smart meters before you support these meters. Please take a look at the information available about how dangerous they are to people, wildlife and birds. These meters do nothing to help save energy. They are a classic example of greenwashing. People who are fighting these meters are doing so because they believe that it is very important to the health of this planet. We do not have the time and money to really spread the word, so it is really upsetting to see a blog like yours support smart meters. A start to some material on smart meters is www.stopsmartmeters.org and www.citizensforsafetechnology.com. There are about 10,000 to 15,000 studies showing that the sort of radiation that these meters emit are biologically hazardous.
Sharon says:
May 27, 2012 at 1:46 am
In every country where the smart grid has been introduced problems have ensued, and more develop everyday. Health, costs (time of use billing is the goal), safety (fires, damaged appliances) security (hacking into private data not needed for billing), cybersecurity -this week an ABC bulletin from CIA.One large No. American grid, one part goes down everywhere goes down. No benefits - no energy savings, no reduction in costs. Please look at what is happening and take time to consider the many problems, and ask why? The corporations are making billions, that’s why. Check www.stopsmartmetersbc.ca, www.stopsmartmeters.org, among others. Why no opt out? Because you don’t escape the radiation which permeates the entire neighbourhood. More transmitters everywhere.