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Aging electric grid can’t handle winter storm

-- Amanda Meade -- 01/29/2009

Over a million homes remain dark tonight from Arkansas to Michigan. Electric power is essential to modern society. Economic prosperity, national security, public health and safety all compromised by our aging electric grid; Knocked out by a winter storm. It’s time to rebuild with a new smart grid.

Communities that lack electric power, even for short periods, have trouble meeting basic needs like food, shelter, and water.

America operates about 157,000 miles of high voltage electric transmission lines. While electricity demand increased by about 25% since 1990, construction of transmission facilities decreased about 30%. There’s lots of work to rebuild and get the economy moving by creating jobs repairing, replacing and renewing with a smart grid. It will harvest a new energy economy and create whole new industries. Investing in clean energy and efficiency can create millions of jobs in every state across the country.

The policy to make the smart grid happen was passed in 2005. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) helps make the new smart grid a political priority. This plan calls for modernization, creates new federal committees, defines their roles and responsibilities, addresses accountability and provides incentives for stakeholders to invest. All it needs now is funding from the stimulus bill heading for the Senate this week.

One other point to consider: electricity is used to move oil and natural gas through the pipelines. Gas stations use electricity when pumping gasoline and homeowners often have natural gas water heaters and furnaces with electric ignition. These too are disrupted by electrical power outages from our aging grid.