The smart grid is coming. Smart grid technology is developing rapidly and will revolutionize the way humans produce and use electricity. The smart grid will use integrated technology to monitor and manage electricity use based on demand and prevailing cost.
As solar and wind power technologies become more cost-effective, a rapidly increasing number of homes will employ such equipment and homeowners will be producing more than 50% of all energy required by the grid.
Electric Vehicles (EV’s) are being produced and delivered to consumers at an increasing pace and will continue to be the fastest-growing portion of the automobile industry. New battery technologies are making EV’s feasible for everyday use by most people. As the technology develops, EV’s will become affordable for a larger portion of the consumer market. This development is driven by consumer desire, as is most any capitalist endeavor.
The smart garage of the future may be something like this:
You leave for the office at 7:15am in your new Electric Vehicle (EV). You travel fifty (50) miles to work at an average speed of 65 mph. You park in the company parking lot and plug your EV into the outlet provided. At lunch time you and two of your coworkers go to lunch in your EV. At the end of the day you drive fifty (50) miles to your home, pull in your garage and plug-in your EV.
The smart grid system installed in your home receives a message that electricity is now being billed at peak rate therefore your EV does not accept electricity at the peak rate. Instead, your EV and the smart grid system check your calendar and calculate how much energy your EV will need to get you to work in the morning, then sells the excess power in your EV batteries to the grid at the peak rate.
The smart grid knows your electricity use habits and the power requirements of your EV, appliances, electronic devices and so forth. When the demand for electricity in the grid is greatest, the smart grid system will be able to automatically adjust to the demand by gathering excess power from numerous sources while not creating a shortage in the grid.
The smart grid will basically provide for the sharing of electricity produced by various sources, both public and private. At the same time, electrical devices will be developed to make the most efficient use of power. As a result, the world will have an abundance of power and a more affordable, environmentally-responsible means of producing and using power.
