$100 Billion for a Smart Grid

Smart Grids are basically about making the distribution of power smarter through improving the transmission system. Think of driving when traffic signals are synchronized, verses not for movement of traffic. The current transmission infrastructure has challenges and is in the wrong place for carrying alternate energy. The windy areas that are prime for wind farms, don't have the transmission lines needed to send the power to the area that needs the power. My thought is a DC Power System. The key issue, as this article mentions, Can the DOE stimulate the smart grid? , is the incentives that utilities are given. If the improvement of transmissions lines are not given the right incentive they will be starved for capital. And with the US having a very decentralized power production system, it makes it even more challenging.

DC Power in China?

China Tests High-Tech Power System - from the WSJ. My guess is high voltage DC power, and China's way of establishing a national grid. Europe also has some DC power installations.

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• Lifeline for Renewable Power
  Gore Urges Obama to Create US Power Grid limits Renewables
• DC Power High Voltage Transmission Advantages

Smart Grid - Surprising Support

I believe a smart grid is actually going to be funded! Why, because of this Pickens' Windmills Tilt Against Market Realities Wall Street Journal.

T. Boone Pickens has been doing a lot of politicing in favor of a smart grid and from the article, looks like he has been very successful! The smart grid is needed for his windmills. That has always been a weak area (somebody to push a smart grid), because the current stakeholders don't really care. The ones who do are the alternate energy people and for whatever reason have stayed out of this.

Smart Grid in Obama Plan

Having a smart grid in Obama's revewable's plan is huge! It's been a chicken or egg issue, which comes first, improving the grid or more power. You can't improve the grid without the power being there, but you can't build the power if you won't have a grid. Very existing! Hopefully it's a DC Power Grid.

Obama renewables plan more ambitious than appears - Reuters

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  Grid limits Renewables
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Lifeline for Renewable Power

Lifeline for Renewable Power from Technology Review published by MIT. Article states why a smart grid is important, and mentions the US gets less than 1% of it's power from Wind, and Germany is at 14%. Unfortunately they did not mention the easy solution of DC Power Transmission Lines!

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• Gore Urges Obama to Create US Power
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The Energy Challenge: Energy Goals a Moving Target for States

The Energy Challenge: Energy Goals a Moving Target for States from the NY Times. It brings up a lot of issues based on the experience of states setting targets for renewables (the easy part), and then actually meeting them. The article briefly mentions a major problem, which is the transmission lines. Unfortunately they did not mention the easy solution of DC Power Transmission Lines!

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Gore Urges Obama to Create US Power Grid

Gore Urges Obama to Create US Power Grid - DC High Power Grid would solve a lot of issues, an Interstate Highway for the 21st century. Great for alternative energy, especially wind.

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Grid limits Renewables

The Energy Challenge: Power Grid Limits Potential of Renewable Energy from the NY Times. Nothing new, it was part of the reason that Enron could game energy in California was due to transmission line limitations. And new ones run into the problem of not in my backyard, not to mention the inter-state issues. The answer is setting up a DC Power Grid. At least Al Gore is talking letting people know this is an issue, now if it can get to the Presidential Candidates that would be nice...

Favorite Quote:

“We still have a third-world grid,” Mr. Richardson said, repeating a comment he has made several times.

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DC Power High Voltage Transmission Advantages

DC Power High Voltage Transmission Advantages

DC at higher voltages has the following advantages over AC Voltage Transmission

1. DC Power can be transmitted at twice the voltage of AC. This means lower losses
   
2. DC Power uses the entire cable, where AC Power at high voltages only uses the outside due to the skin affect.
3. DC Power lines would give the ability to have a large scale grid, allowing for wind power to be used more effectively. Since different areas have wind at different times, a big grid would allow sharing to even out the supply. Same idea as having a portfolio of companies or industries to reduce the risks in stocks.
4. DC Power can be easily transmitted on the ground, where AC due to ground can't be. This also allows for underwater DC Power cables.
5. Using modern power electronics (IGBT's is my guess), Voltage conversion for DC can be done as economically as AC is done with transformers.
6. No frequencies to sync.
7. No reactance in the lines - so no coupling issues.
   

References:

• Power transmission | Where the wind blows | Economist.com
• WikiAnswers - What were the advantages and disadvantages of dc power