Here’s What Our Energy Grid Looks Like (Yeesh)

[Are_grits_groceries]

You’ve probably heard about our outdated energy grid and the need to create a new, “smart” one. Here’s what the problem—and a possible solution—look like.

The first map here shows our current high-voltage transmission lines. These are like the freeways for energy. As you can see, they’re far from comprehensive. Most importantly, they don’t do a good job of connecting New Mexico and Texas (two areas with great solar power potential) or Oklahoma, Kansas, and the other plains states (where there’s great potential for wind power) to the rest of the country. So even if we started harvesting that clean energy we couldn’t distribute it effectively.

Below is a picture of what a new energy grid might look like.


Along with just doing a better job of connecting the future sources of clean energy with the rest of the country, a “smart” grid, as typically envisioned, would have better real-time metering and built-in redundancy that would help prevent power outages and security threats.

It’s unclear what the price tag for this “smart” grid would be, but The Electric Power Research Institute estimates that “electricity disruptions cost the economy upward of $100 billion each year in damages and lost business,” and that’s to say nothing of problems the old grid presents for clean energy and the environment. Suffice it to say it’s probably worth it.
http://www.good.is/?p=15780

Why are New England and the Southeast left out?

[FirstLight]

1. Wow, great info! terribly sad, though

See? when Pres Obama says we need to re-invest and get the work done...THIS is the stuff he is talking about!

You can see the early 19th century short sightedness of the old grid.
Like it was just slapped down haphhazardly to meet the needs of a growing population, but that's about it
...The concept of building our infrastructure with some FORESIGHT and with SUSTAINABILITY in mind is so important!

See, we should have ben doing this while Carter was in office... but the warmongers got a hold of things and decided it was more fun to destroy the world than to create a better one.
I sincerely hope we can pull it off at this late juncture.

[Pab Sungenis]

2. If we plow Wyoming under and put solar panels in its place

we'd never need fossil fuels again.

Seriously, a lot of our needs could easily be covered by building large vertical solar farms in the southwest, like they've done in Spain, Dubai, and other places, and getting them linked into the grid.

[TheWraith]

6. As little as I'd actually miss Wyoming, I still think there's an environmental issue there. nt

[Sal Minella]

3. Engineering for locally-produced energy makes a lot more sense to me --

why build these ghastly, expensive transmission lines when electricity can be produced on-site or near-site??? But I'm sure the companies who are lobbying to sell the hardware for these towers would not agree with me.

Building these lines is in the interests of the energy companies who can then Enron us for transporting energy "where it's needed."

Build the damn generating capacity where it's needed and forget the damn transmission lines. We need combination towers that utilize wind when available and solar when available and both when available.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Sunshine here 300 days a year....where are the grids for SE???

Damn those Republicans!!!!

[conscious evolution]

5. I think the new grid

is meant to be tapped into the existing transmission grid.

[hootinholler]

7. Because those parts of the grid exist.

No need to replace them, thus they are not new grid. Overlay the two maps to get the future grid.

-Hoot