What are the barriers to implementing a large scale "smart-grid" power network?

pa5tabear

I know that many renewable energies are only available at certain times of the day, or in certain areas. Therefore a "smart-grid" is important for storing and distributing the energy.

I see the main issue to be storing large amounts of energy efficiently, such as saving up solar energy during the day to later use at night.

Are there other major roadblocks?

es1

Funding?

pa5tabear

I don't think so. The benefit is huge, and the payoff would be huge. If it were likely to succeed, there are plenty of investors who would love to pour money into something like this.

The question is whether a smart grid could succeed with current level technology.

Are there not other significant issues?

phinds

Political gridlock, probably.

turbo

My occasional neighbor from Mass does this type of work. Balancing renewables such as hydro and wind with petro-based plants and nuclear (including scheduling fuel-replacements). She would love to move up here with her husband, but her work is anchored around the south-Boston area. Too bad. She would be a very nice permanent addition to our neighborhood.

triden

The EROI (Energy return on investment) is very small with renewable energy at its current state. Fossil fuels and coal have the upper hand as they produce A LOT of energy compared to what it takes to get it. Investors want the most leverage from their investments, so its going to be hard to find people to put their money into renewable technologies.

jim hardy

i agree with that but i dont think that is what "smart grid" is doing.

Instead it is creating an information network whereby all your appliances communicate with electric company( or somebody? ) through your electric meter. To that end they're making "smart" appliances, even smart wall receptacles. Current thinking is it'll allow electric company to control power system load by granting permission from central location for large devices to be switched on, or turning them off if need be.
Another facet is to incentivize public to use less energy and shift that use to low cost times.

Or looking at it another way, to make price of electricity like price of gasoline - it'll change minute by minute.
So your electric meter has to know minute by minute how much to charge you..
And it can tell your appliances when they have permission to run. Water heaters, air conditioners and electric vehicle chargers are large devices.
Predictably some people are protesting that as "Big Brother Intrusion".

Here's what Wikipedia says about it:
and Appliance Magazine::

http://www.appliancemagazine.com/new...zone=0&first=1
http://www.appliancemagazine.com/new...zone=0&first=1
... all those jobs - sounds like somebody expects a lot of smart appliance manufacturing. Maybe that's why GE recently built some manufacturing plants here in US.
http://www.appliancemagazine.com/edi...rticle=2366%22
http://www.appliancemagazine.com/app...ne=205&first=1

Myself i think it's a boondoggle .

jim hardy

and "Dynamic Billing" is a culture shock to customers

http://www.elp.com/index/display/art...ty-threat.html

dlgoff

I'd override the "smart" part of the appliance. If my air conditioner, for example, would shut off 20 or 30 minutes every hour in this 105°F weather, the utility wouldn't get much money from me; as I would be dead from heat stroke. Just sayin'.

jim hardy

Gonna be an interesting counterculture emerge here.

Wife recently talked me into one of those newfangled washing machines with three phase computer driven motor and every automatic function conceivable. But i hung onto the old Sears with induction motor and mechanical timer for when the hightech gadgets give up the ghost.

Induction motor for home appliances looks to be on its way out. Handymen better stash away a few for workshop fixtures .

typical washing machine, courtesy of somebody on Photobucket:

on this one you'd tie red to black or orange, whichever one you tied red to above,(1 to 7 or 3) depending on speed you want
and brown to white (6 to 8) so it'll start
then apply power from M to orange or black(what color is M? term 4 to 3 or 7) and you'd have a motor for that shop fan or grinder.

While color and numbering is not same on all manufcturers, the circle in above drawing is typical arrangement of almost all washer motors. The terminals are on the centrifugal switch.


so with an ohm-meter you can figure out what colors and terminal numbers they used.


sorry for off-topic. old jim