My argument about the US electrical grid plays off of an argument Cheney's 'energy task force report' made (still available on the Energy Dept.'s Web site.)
Our electrical grids are mostly owned and built by local monopoly energy producers... they have no economic incentive to build robust interconnections between the various regions, because that could expose them to price competition from other electricity producers.
So the grids have plenty of capacity within the local grids, but weak interconnections to their neighbors.
As Cheney's report made clear (one of the few good arguments in it): there is 'no such thing' as a 'national electricity grid'.
That, and the high line losses when transmitting electricity over long distances (because no grid owner has built super-conducting high tension lines yet, which operate with an entirely different order of line loss) are the main reasons why our electrical distribution systems are 'local', and relatively price-insensitive.
In two words: the grids are monopoly-friendly and serve the power companies' interests... not the nations.
The other important point Cheney's report mentioned is that more (and smaller, more localized, i.e.: closer to the consumers) electricity producers would add as much to increasing the efficiency of the entire system, as strengthening the grid inter-connections would.
What went unmentioned in the Cheney report is that an increase in smaller, more localized electricity producers (i.e.: 'building' or 'block' generators in large cities, etc.), would be a great boon to several 'alternative' energy technologies such as mini-turbines, fuel cells, wind power, etc.
Moreover, here’s where the government stands in the way, blocking progress:
'Net Metering' is the local law that forces you local grid operator to install a two-way electric meter on your home or small business when you request them to, and pay you for any electricity you generate... just as they would pay other producers.
Only, Net-Metering enabling laws haven't been passed in most States, and the Feds haven't required it. (I believe some 20 States or so have some form of a net-metering rule... but it is usually a token, restricted to 0.5% of the total electric market or so, and often restrictive in other ways: some don't pay you anything for the electricity you generate - only reducing what you pay them, like California’s law. Most don't pay a market rate, or they give you 'revolving' credits that expire like unused cell phone minutes every month... or at the end of the year.)
A WHOLE LOT MORE people would install photoelectric cells on their roofs (or business would use mini-turbines to level out peak load pricing... and in a few years, fuel cells, etc.) if only they could be PAID for the electricity they generate and put for free into the grids right now.
A whole lot of our 'energy independence' problems are because the system is skewed to benefit the energy monopolies... and the 'national interest' is not on the politician's minds. |
