The sexier, more awe-inspiring elements of a “green-collar” economy tend to grab headlines. I’m talking about show-stoppers like Tesla’s sleek, electric-powered Roadster or today’s onslaught of solar-powered gadgetry. However, the real promise of curbing our addiction to Middle Eastern oil and reducing carbon emissions lies in sigh-inducing innovations such as better management of the energy we already use.
Yeah, how boring. But in the words of statesman Benjamin Franklin’s (with some generous use of poetic license), a megawatt saved is a megawatt created.
The truth is, our electrical infrastructure is woefully inadequate and in need of major upgrades. You may have heard the term “smart grid” bandied about, but the laid-back mountain town of Boulder, Colorado, may be the world’s first “smart-city” after installation of a citywide smart grid system.
Xcel Energy is the company behind Boulder’s overhaul, which consists of real-time monitoring and data feedback to help control high-demand periods, reduce the likelihood of blackouts and generally make better use of resources. Energy customers in the city have real-time access to their electrical usage and can remotely control lights, thermostat and other energy-suckers while they’re away from home.
The Xcel Energy press release linked above describes some of the major infrastructural work behind the project (dubbed SmartGridCity), which doesn’t exactly stir the senses like a plug-in sports coupe, but is arguably much more important:
“The SmartGridCity project also included automating three of four distribution substations, four computer-monitored power feeders, and another 23 feeders that are watched for voltage irregularities. Approximately 200 miles of fiber optic cable, 4,600 residential and small business transformers and nearly 16,000 smart meters are now connected to the smart grid system.”
Since we humans apparently aren’t smart enough to flip the lights off or adjust the temperature before we leave for work in the morning, it’s nice to know cutting-edge technology has our backs.
Photo courtesy of Se4n, via Wikimedia Commons
