Obama Provides Funding for Smart Grid

When it comes to America becoming more energy-efficient, a significant hurdle stands in the way: The country's outdated, dilapidated grid. In order to make renewable energy more available and give citizens better control of their home energy use, everyone agrees the system is seriously in need of an overhaul.

On Tuesday, the country came one step closer to achieving that smart grid. According to an MSNBC.com story, President Obama announced that the administration will provide $3.4 billion in federal money for 100 projects that aim to modernize the electrical system. In addition to federal funding, $4.7 billion in private investments will push the projects forward.

The projects will hopefully make the country a much more energy-efficient place to live. The billions will help bring modern thermostats and 18 million smart meters to homes, which will allow consumers to better monitor and conserve their electricity use. A network of 850 new sensors will allow utilities to also monitor output, while 200,000 digital transformers will help reduce power outages. Additionally, 700 grid substations will be automated.

Perhaps most significantly, the new grid will set the groundwork for an easy transition toward a greater use of renewable energy from solar and wind power.

The 100 designated projects will be developed over the next one to three years. And in addition to making America greener, the projects will save or create about 10,000 jobs.

Helping the environment and boosting employment? Now that's something we can really get behind.

Photo courtesy of The Obama-Biden Transition Project via Wikimedia Commons.