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Reasoning with the smart grid

by The Green A-Team

America’s new energy grid gets smart.  What does the new stimulus package mean for your electric bill?

President Obama’s recent stimulus package includes large resources devoted to energy efficiency, renewable energy research, guaranteed loans, and tax credits.  This means big changes on the horizon for the way America produces the energy it needs to run itself.

The challenge is that renewable sources like solar and wind deliver power sporadically which means a new grid will have to be laid out in order to regulate the flow.

According to IBM and the Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition, the so-called “smart grid” dramatically reduce outages and faults, improves responsiveness, handles current and future demand, increases efficiency and manages costs. Consumers benefit with new power options like customized pricing and real-time monitoring of their usage and costs.

The Intelligent Utility Network also helps consumers actively participate in solving critical energy problems by making “smart” homes and energy-conscious choices possible.

For a complete breakdown of how the smart grid works, check out IBM’s awesome podcast presentation:

ibm

Photo by Gilfer.

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