measurement & Control 9
In terms of equipment, more than 850 sensors – and environmental savings for even a small reduction
phasor measurement units – will be needed to cover the are significant. In fact, points out the DOE, some of
whole country’s grid and make it possible for operators to the power plants for meeting peak demand operate for
better control conditions and prevent minor disturbances only a few hundred hours a year, which means the power
in the electrical system from cascading into local or they generate can be 5–10 times more expensive than the
regional power outages or blackouts. In addition, more average price per kilowatt hour paid by most.
than 200 000 smart transformers will be installed. These Luke Clemente, general manager of GE Energy
will make it possible for power companies to replace units Services’ smart grid business, said: “The holistic smart
before they fail thus saving money and reducing power grid solutions receiving funding deliver synergistic
outages. Also 700 automated substations, representing reliability, efficiency and clean-energy technologies across
about five percent of the nation’s total, will be needed the electrical network.
and these will make it possible for power companies to As a result, consumers will have the power to manage
respond faster and more effectively to restore service when and control their energy use, and we can add more clean
bad weather knocks down power lines or causes electricity energy sources to the generation mix-all while creating
disruptions. Finally, the installation of more than one thousands of high value, non-transferable, green-collar
million in-home displays, 170 000 smart thermostats and jobs. This approach tracks closely with GE’s smart grid
175 000 other load control devices to enable consumers vision that has been honed by decades of research and a
to reduce their energy use. Funding will also help expand century of real-world experience focused on continually
the market for smart washers, dryers, and dishwashers, so improving how power is generated, delivered and
that American consumers can further control their energy consumed.”
use and lower their electricity bills. Just three days after the announcement by Obama,
The DOE expects that the net result of this will be GE said that AEP Ohio is to purchase 110 000 of its
a reduction in peak electricity demand by more than smart meters as part of the company’s gridSMART
1400MW, which is the equivalent of several larger power demonstration project in northeast central Ohio. These
plants and can save ratepayers more than US$1.5b (E1b) meters will give consumers the information to make
in capital costs and help lower utility bills. Since peak informed choices about when and how they use electricity
electricity is the most expensive energy – and requires the – enabling them to lower their electric bills without
use of standby power generation plants – the economic sacrificing lifestyle. n
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