Environmental Policy Expert to Illinois: Investing in
Smart Grids = Greener Economy
Jul 9, 2007 - PRNewswire-USNewswire
How can Illinoisans curb global warming and invigorate
a sagging economy? According to national climate change
policy expert Bracken Hendricks, the state should add smart
technology to the electricity grid.
Smart grids cut greenhouse gas emissions, integrate renewable
sources of energy (such as solar and wind power) more readily,
and offer consumers more options to reduce their carbon
footprints, said Hendricks, a senior fellow with the Center
for American Progress in Washington, D.C. Additionally,
smart grids open doors for the local business community
-- creating more jobs and opportunities in the growing green
business sector.
"Grid modernization via smart grids can be instrumental
in reducing global warming -- it provides a viable, expedient
way to address this growing crisis," said Hendricks. "The
time to create a cleaner energy economy is here, and it's
essential to reduce carbon emissions by improving our deteriorating
electricity infrastructure."
Speaking before the Illinois Smart Grid Initiative (ISGI)
-- a voluntary group of state and local government, consumer,
business, environmental and utility stakeholders working
together to examine how Illinoisans can benefit from a smart
grid -- Hendricks said that a smart grid will enable the
state to rebuild its electricity infrastructure to allow
for efficiency and energy options that lessen human impact
on the environment.
During his presentation, Hendricks shared some of the key
opportunities smart grids offer for creating a cleaner,
more efficient energy future for Illinois
: Smart grids can act as a "stimulus package" for state
economies. Smart grid investment infuses a host of energy-saving
technologies and fosters an emerging "green" business sector
into a state's economy. As regional smart grid pilot programs
efforts are introduced, cities and communities will have
an opportunity to benefit from the green windfall, offering
entrepreneurial prospects in the areas of smart grid technology,
energy efficiency management systems, and renewable energy.
Plug-in electric cars -- the future of automobiles -- need
smart grid technology. Only with smart grids will commuters
be able to utilize the full potential of electric cars.
With smart grid technology, plug-in car owners would be
able to sell power back to the grid during peak periods
to pay for the expense of travel.
Plug-in electric cars will require smart grid technology,
and even smarter policy, for the grid to provide these vehicles
with the power they need and to sustain the resulting increased
demand on the power system. Plug-in electric cars could
cut per-vehicle emissions by 30 percent and slash fuel expenses
by at least 75 percent.
Demand response allows consumers to work in partnership
with utilities to reduce stress on the grid and shrink electricity's
substantial carbon footprint. Americans' electricity use
is responsible for nearly 40 percent of the nation's energy-related
carbon emissions. Smart grid technology offers consumers
choice. Through demand response tools such as real-time
pricing and energy management technology in homes and businesses,
consumers can work together with utilities to use electricity
more efficiently and reduce the amount of power used, especially
during high-demand peak times. And reduced demand means
fewer carbon emissions from electricity generation.
Grid modernization must happen sooner rather than later
to help curb climate change. As global warming continues
to worsen, time is running out to curb its progress. We
should waste no time in developing a smarter power system
that optimizes the electricity grid we have now.
Like railroads and highways, the electric grid needs large-scale
investment to strengthen its deteriorating infrastructure.
When Americans looked to expand and connect the country's
railroad and highway systems, massive investment in new
technologies standardized the system and led to the integrated
transportation framework that supports the American economy
today. Our electricity infrastructure needs large-scale
investments to yield a reliable, efficient and responsive
power system.
The ISGI is a new public-private collaboration of Illinois
stakeholder groups that is examining the nature and potential
benefits of a modernized electric grid, and mapping the
policy path for achieving those benefits for consumers and
the economy. The Initiative will examine how smart grid
designs and technologies can offer Illinois consumers more
reliable electricity service, a cleaner environment, and
the lowest possible costs over time. The initiative is a
project of the Center for Neighborhood Technology and funded
by the Galvin Electricity Initiative. For more information,
visit http://www.ilsmartgrid.org/. Center for Neighborhood
Technology, http://www.cnt.org/
The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) is a 30-year-old
Chicago-based nonprofit that carries out research, policy
advocacy and economic development projects in pursuit of
building more livable and sustainable communities. CNT created
and implemented the nation's first residential hourly electricity
pricing program, designed to save consumers money and reduce
electricity demand. In addition, CNT manages energy efficiency
programs and has conducted extensive analyses of place-based
greenhouse gas mitigation strategies and transportation
affordability.
Galvin Electricity Initiative, http://www.galvinpower.org/
The nonprofit Galvin Electricity Initiative was launched
by former Motorola chief Robert W. Galvin in response to
the Northeast blackout of 2003 that affected 40 million
people in eight states. The Initiative is leading a campaign
to transform our Nation's obsolete electric power system
into one that can truly meet consumers' needs in this new
century. Galvin's vision -- a Perfect Power System that
cannot fail the end-user -- includes a major technological
update as well as the entrepreneurial development of smart
microgrids that benefit consumers and suppliers alike.
Illinois Smart Grid Initiative
CONTACT: Crystal Borde, +1-202-331-4323, cborde@vancomm.com,
forIllinois Smart Grid Initiative
Web Site: http://www.cnt.org/http://www.galvinpower.org/http://www.ilsmartgrid.org/
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