The Smart Grid’s Grassroots Appeal

The phrase “smart grid” might intimidate some audiences. Do we want an intelligent power grid? For some people, the idea might be reminiscent of The Matrix or even 1984. Utility customers may say that futuristic plus costly does not equal appealing.

Defined simply, a smart grid is a modernized, efficient system of power equipment that is responsive to customer energy needs. It’s flexible and decentralized and supports local installations of renewable energy.

A smart grid could reduce power losses due to electrical resistance, but consumer resistance could still pose a problem. Fortunately, one of the main advantages of a smart grid is that it can support local self-sufficiency and sustainable energy choices. It also offers the opportunity to streamline our use of electric power. The cost isn’t trivial, but neither are the benefits. If you’re interested in charging an electric vehicle in your back yard, selling wind power back to your electric company, or saving energy to reduce global warming, the smart grid can be your ally.

The face of the smart grid doesn't have to be forbidding. Credit: somadjinn. Source: Stock.xchng.

It’s important to present smart grid programs as attractive to local stakeholders rather than giving the impression they are a top-down imposition. Smart metering programs have already suffered from a lack of customer-friendly communication. Because some customers believe smart meters benefit utilities more than consumers, programs have met with resistance.

Given the potential savings and autonomy that smart grid technology can provide, it would be disappointing if this technology was portrayed as a burden to utility customers rather than a new and versatile asset.

Local Innovation, Local Solutions

It might seem logical that solutions a community develops for its own use would work well locally. But small, innovative groups sometimes have difficulty accessing funding to support their work.

The Obama administration’s Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation funds locally generated programs and ideas. Although the organizations it supports are established groups, not new ones, other groups are looking at smaller-scale solutions.

Parsons the New School for Design has started a project called Amplifying Creative Communities. Their focus is New York City, particularly the Lower East Side. They’re studying and encouraging the growth of urban gardens and other community resource-sharing projects. An article by Cameron Tonkinwise puts this project in an international context.