America's world-class energy grid has provided its citizens with reliable energy for many decades. During the past twenty years however, demands have increased 25% while improvements to transmission facilities have decreased 30%. The increased demand for energy is putting tremendous stress on the outdated grid. The way that America produces electricity has fueled its progress since its birth. The time has come for succession as cleaner, smarter, and safer methods of producing electricity are becoming commercially available. In order to maintain the most advanced energy grid in the world, America needs to evolve to use better forms of energy and a more reliable means of transporting it. This future encompasses a combination of wind, solar, and hydrogen power being distributed to people through a ‘smart' grid that promotes sustainable consumption.

The best things in life are free. The same can also be said with energy. The sun bathes Earth in light and heat all throughout the day. In fact, people rely on the energy from the sun more than any other type of energy. Sunlight is needed to light up the outdoors as well as indoors through windows and skylights. No artificial lighting system could even come close to performing the role of the sun. So why not expand on what is already the most abundantly used form of energy on Earth? Solar energy produces zero emissions and is clean and abundant. The efficiency of the panels does need improvement, however with enough support and investments, technology can make solar panels the primary method of energy production in the US.

Wind power is another sustainable type of energy production that offers hope. Winds are always blowing and provide endless fuel to create electricity. Wind power is clean, produces zero emissions, and best of all free. It can easily be used in farms to produce as much electricity as coal-fired power plants in a much safer and cleaner way. The disadvantages of wind are negligible and can all be worked around through conventional means. Wind farms can be placed on top of already existing crop farms in order to conserve land and centralize the location. Wind power is definitely a step in the right direction and if invested in properly, can become a major source of energy production in the US.

Solar and wind power are great ways of producing electricity for consumption at home and in fixed locations, but the question of how to power vehicles still remains. Hydrogen gas is highly combustible, making it a good candidate to replace gasoline in transportation. The benefit of hydrogen power over gasoline is that when combusted, the only byproduct is water vapor. Carbon Dioxide, Sulfur-Oxides, and many other hazardous gases can be eliminated from the energy grid through the implication of hydrogen powered cars. Hydrogen power needs to be invested in further so that technology can improve it. A nice thing about hydrogen power is that the fuel going into the car is water which is very abundant and cheap. Hydrogen gas can be stored in several forms included compressed gas, liquid hydrogen, and metal hydrides. The energy that is produced by the combustion of hydrogen gas is very controllable, making it a good candidate to replace gasoline.

The next step towards evolving America's electricity grid is a better, smarter means of transporting it. Electricity wires are ugly and dangerous but they are the only option available at this time. Putting the wires underground would be nice, but repairs would be costly as best and impossible at worse. Also construction could disturb the lines, as well as shifts in the Earth's crust. The best way to transmit electricity would be wirelessly, however technology has not improved enough to make that commercially possible. For now, we have to stick to the hanging wires. The best way to improve efficiency of electricity transport and promote sustainable, informed consumption is to digitize the electricity grid. This would involve computer screens inside of homes to monitor consumption and inform people of what appliances are taking up the most energy. In addition to better communication with the end-user, these advanced systems could communicate with the utility provider as well to inform them where energy could be saved. The utility could then offer the consumer a lower rate during non-peak hours to save on production costs and essentially total energy consumption as well. Appliances such as the dishwasher and washer/dryer could comply with this smart grid by programming themselves to go off at night or during non-peak hours. This will reduce stress tremendously on the energy grid and reduce overall consumption across America.

America needs to overhaul its energy grid within the coming decades if it is to survive and progress. Coal, oil, and nuclear have supported us up to this point but their burdens have offset their advantages. These technologies are dirty, not abundant, and leave a deplorable mess behind on Earth for our generation to deal with. The future is here and it is calling for renewable energy sources combined with sustainable consumption. Solar is the most obvious and abundant source and will take over as the dominant source of energy production. Wind is also promising and can provide power to remote locations and with the proper infrastructure, to major cities. Hydrogen power is essential to fuel America's transportation industry as it seeks innovation in the coming decade. These sustainable forms of energy will be important and prevalent in the foreseeable future. A smarter grid is essential to inform consumers of the issues plaguing the nation and give them incentives to reduce consumption and seek smarter ways of production. Our energy problem can no longer be ignored. America needs to make the switch to renewable energy in order to endure as the most advanced country in the world.

 

Shane Griffiths    

Works Cited

http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/06/news/economy/smart_grid/index.htm

http://sites.energetics.com/gridworks/grid.html

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