North american electrical grid upgrade#
Other ways to upgrade our grid include accompanying variable power sources with large batteries to store electricity for later use and installing more sensors and smart appliances to better balance electricity production and use. Local distribution systems can be adapted to better handle electricity flowing onto the grid from local power generators, and to provide flexibility to the main grid. Upgrading the existing grid by building new transmission lines to better move power from wind farms and other renewable resources in rural areas to urban areas is one way to do this. Researchers and utilities are looking at a number of ways to make our grid smarter-that is, better equipped to handle more low-carbon electricity while reducing costs and power outages.
North american electrical grid install#
And, as more homes and businesses install solar panels on their roofs and land and send their power back to the grid, utilities need to account for managing the flow of this “distributed” energy generation. The variability of wind and solar makes it harder to control the flow of electricity from these sources onto the electric grid. Wind and solar power are “variable”- while a coal-fired power plant can burn as much coal as is stored at the plant, grid operators can’t just make the wind blow or the sun shine when they need more electricity. The grid also needs to be adapted to handle the influx of “variable” and “distributed” energy sources. 8 At the same time, utilities will need to build or buy power from new low-carbon electricity generators to keep up with growing demand. power companies announced the retirement of more than 500 coal power plants. 7 Another is to close fossil fuel power plants before they were scheduled to shut down over the last ten years, U.S. This is already happening in some parts of the world, with countries like South Korea, Indonesia, and Poland pledging to no longer allow new coal-fired power plant development. One key way to speed up this transition is for utilities to no longer build new power plants that run on fossil fuels. 6 Curbing emissions from electricity hinges on switching to low-carbon electricity sources, such as solar, wind, hydropower, and nuclear. Cleaning up the gridĮlectricity accounts for 40% of our global greenhouse gas emissions from energy. There’s a constant balance between generating enough electricity to meet demand-and prevent blackouts-while not producing too much electricity, which can lead utilities to take costly measures like disconnecting certain generators from the grid. 5 Electric utilities and other entities in charge of operating the grid decide when to turn on or ramp up certain kinds of power production based on expected demand. Today, most electricity worldwide is generated in large power plants that run on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, and, to a lesser extent, from low-carbon sources like nuclear, wind turbines, solar panels, and running water (“hydropower”). 3 Innovation took off from there, from inventions as simple as switches that allow us to turn on and off appliances without shutting down the grid as far-reaching as transcontinental “transmission lines” that move electricity over hundreds of thousands of miles 4 and as complex as utilities, which are companies that make sure there’s enough electricity for all users on an electric grid. In 1879, a power company in San Francisco connected a coal-fired steam engine to two generators, powering 20 lightbulbs-and creating the first electric grid. To slow down-and to protect ourselves from-climate change, energy experts say our grid must become cleaner and more adaptable. 1 At the same time, the grid is vulnerable to extreme weather events, like hurricanes 2 and heat waves, that are becoming more common or more intense as our planet warms.
Currently, almost two-thirds of our electricity around the world is generated by burning fossil fuels, a process that releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming greenhouse gases and is among the primary causes of climate change. The electric grid-and how electricity is generated-plays a crucial role in slowing and stopping climate change. has three quite separate electric grids that span the country. Though it’s often generally referred to as “the electric grid,” countries can have more than one: for example, the U.S. Instead, we get it from the electric grid, an interconnected network of power lines and other infrastructure that allows us to move electricity from power plants to our homes, businesses, and factories. But most of us don’t make our own electricity. We use electricity every day-to turn on the lights, to charge our phones, and to keep our food cold.
0 kommentar(er)
