Reflections

Is A Smart Grid And Smart Cars The Answer To Our Energy Woes?

Posted by on May 4, 2009 | 13 Comments

Over the past few weeks I have read several articles concerning our electrical grid and the lack of control we have over the power we produce. From what I have read it appears that our electric grid is in need of an overhaul in order to take advantage of what some claim will be our best chance of getting off of our addiction to oil. Some are touting that electricity is the answer to our problems and that a Smart Grid and Smart Cars will be our salvation.

The problem basically is how to upgrade the nearly six million miles of transmission lines and distribution centers into allocating electricity to where it is needed. The other problem is how to incorporate a system in which those who conserve or use their energy wisely are rewarded for their conservation efforts. The rewiring of America is estimate by some to cost over $200 billion and will take decades to upgrade. Those in favor of a smart grid foresee a future when our motor vehicle run on electricity and not oil.

Which brings us to our next problem. Our automobiles would need to be designed to run on electricity and have ample storage to be able to propel the vehicle enough miles to satisfy the average user before a recharge. Our cars would also have to be able to attach to the grid, preferable at any location, to charge up for the next trip. From what I have been reading battery technology will need to be improved dramatically before this will happen. Again we could be looking at decades before this happens.

But there is one solution that no one talks about. I am sure some of you can relate to this situation. I have a neighbor that owns a SUV, passenger car, pickup truck, a boat and a riding lawn mower. The family consists of a mom and dad plus two young children under driving age. These people are living the American dream. Good for them.

But they are also burning up a disproportionate share of our planets limited resources.  Does anyone besides me believe that we should be allocated a certain amount of energy, regardless of our economic ability to pay, and be limited to that energy useage?

Let me know what you think of this idea. I believe the cost would be a lot cheaper than trying alternative energy plans.

  • Jeff Pittenger

    I think you must be out of your mind. You want the goverment to decide how much energy i can use? This is America pal, and if I want to leave my lights on it’s my business, I’m paying the bill. The goverment screws up everything it does and you want them controlling energy? I guess you want to raise my taxes, so that some one who doesn’t work for a living like I do can have more.

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  • http://DannyMinick.com Danny Minick

    The Toyota Yaris gets 44 MPG Highway. The Smart Car gets around 40.

    The Smart Car is not as smart as the Yaris.

    Just thought I would mention that.

    Great article. :)

  • http://screwgogreen.com Joe Momma

    I know its the latest trend to care about such things…..I just really do not care…..it is people like me who will force people to develop better systems that should have already been done out of need not out of trying to conserve. People who sell this gimmicky crap you get now (hybrids and electric cars ETC) are only selling to people who do not understand the way society and companies are developed. Need is the mother of invention not conservation……we will onyl truely develop something GREAT when we are all out of our “precious resources” and actuall need to NOT before its out……we study history but we do not learn from it or even use commons sense……Join the anti green movement use the stuff up make someone make something new NOW!.

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  • Michelle

    I am always amazed at how we all look so hard around the stomping elephant to find what the problem on the other side of the room.

    No matter how much we conserve, and we need to, NOTHING will make a difference if the population of humans keeps expanding, or even stays the same.

    The root cause of ALL our human caused problems is there are simply too many people. If we had far fewer humans we could literally do almost anything and have a negligible effect.

    Like any other “bubble” growth, human population will eventually suffer a collapse. This has happened many times in history in localized events. Now, with our global human overload, the next collapse may be planet-wide. It is not going to be pleasant no matter what, but it could be sufferable if the downsizing is planned and managed. Are we capable of doing that? I doubt it.

  • Cliffystones

    Here’s something to “reflect” on. Would it be a better idea to heat water at a central location and pipe it to all of our homes? Of course not! The water would have to be steam at the source just to be lukewarm at the tap, if that.

    The same goes for electricity. Eliminate the brain-dead, 100+ year old concept of central generation. A major part of the power never reaches it’s intended destination, but is wasted as line loss, transformer loss, etc. Use those billions of dollars to build a local-based infrastructure that could be based on multiple sources. The only reason for the current dilapidated system to remain is to keep the “power” in the hands of big utility companies.

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  • Scott Sturdivant

    What? Are you serious? How are they using a disproportionate amount of energy? Each person can only drive one vehicle at any time. How is that different from a single-vehicle household? Just because they have a boat and a lawnmower doesn’t mean they are mowing grass on their boat as they tow it to and from work every day.

    Here’s a suggestion: Make alternative fuels available, then market them so that people will WANT to stop using oil. Don’t force some random “energy cap” on people just because YOU don’t like their lifestyle.

    Isn’t that what communism was about? The government will monitor and moderate your usage of resources so that the rest of the people won’t run out. How well does that really work?

  • TooSmart

    What we need are SmartLaws: laws that don’t require a wall full of books and hours of nitpicking through minutia of words. We need to tear out the entire legal infrastructure and replace it with something real people can use instead of wasting trillions of dollars on legal fees. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, yet nobody can possibly read and understand them. Most people can’t even read and understand a single EULA. No wonder our country is dying.

  • Anonymous

    Is this a service that multiple users can share simultaneously? Is there a problem with copyright if they can?

    • http://twitter.com/no_substitute Kim Nilsson

      Sharing of music would be a copyright nightmare.

  • Anonymous

    my music(350Gb) might be uploaded by July 4……according to its current progress