Posted on 06/27/2007 8:34:23 AM PDT by P-40
DOE Provides up to $51.8 Million to Modernize the U.S. Electric Grid System Superconductor Research Crucial to Improving Power Delivery Equipment
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced that DOE will provide up to $51.8 million for five cost-shared projects that will help accelerate much-needed modernization of our Nation’s electricity grid. This research will advance the development and application of high-temperature superconductors, which have the potential to alleviate congestion on an electricity grid that is experiencing increased demand from consumers. Making investments to modernize our electricity grid; securing a diverse and stable supply of reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible energy; as well as increasing efficiency, are central to the Bush Administration’s effort to increase energy and economic security.
“Modernizing our congested and constrained electric grid - through the development of advanced, new technologies – is vital to delivering reliable and affordable power to the American people,” Secretary Bodman said. “As demand for electricity continues to grow, we must take steps now to identify potential problems, identify solutions, and deploy new technologies to provide a secure and steady energy supply. We look forward to the success of this research and recognize it will help us realize President Bush’s goal of a more modern and efficient electricity system.”
*SNIP*
(Excerpt) Read more at energy.gov ...
It’s going to cost a whole lot more than that.
That it is. The number listed is just the DOE’s contribution. The link has more information on the total costs.
Hmmmm.. Increased demand from consumers... need more supply.... somewhere I read a law about how to handle that..... can't think where..... better let the gubmint do it...
lots of new 765kV lines gonna be going in to feed the coasts. of course this will require eminent domaining of properties in flyover territory, but they don’t have enough electoral ooomph to matter.
50 million for the grid.
10 trillion to take care of illegals so that they can cut the lawns of millionaires at below market rates.
Let’s go with that.
That’s great. The Prez said five years ago it would cost $50 billion. Probably closer to $100 billion now.
Alaska’s grid is mostly very new, but doesn’t go very far. Not important enough for the map, as usual.
If memory serves me correctly, the state of TX is the only state with its own grid, right freepers? If so, then DOE needs to take note of the TX system.
52 million buys you about 6 miles of underground cable in an urban environment. Big freakin deal.
Most of the state is covered by its own grid. I forget the history of how that came about though...and have been planning to look it up.
That is just the DOE’s contribution to the cost.
Why does the Fed need to give money for any of this stuff ?
Isn’t it in these companies’ best interests to modernize their plants and systems ? It would probably be worth more to the electric companies if the feds were to contribute in other ways — like removing regulatory hurdles to fast-track projects, allowing expensing vs. depreciation of capital improvements, etc.
Instead, Washington writes checks and probably adds regulatory hurdles and overhead to track how the money is spent.
Alaska and Hawaii. Not all of Texas is in ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) but all of ERCOT is in Texas.
True, to some degree. But the grid is the only part of the utility industry that is not being deregulated. You can’t set up a system where competing grids offer effective competition among one another. There is only one set of electric lines. As a result, those lines are typically owned by the government directly, or more likely, by a regulated utility. Either way, the cost of upkeep and of improvement gets passed onto the public. So it’s just a question of whether it should be included in the electric rate structure, or in the tax bill.
I think the main reason the government is picking up a large part of the tab is that it’s the government that is pressing these companies to modernize the grid. The government realizes that in today’s system, a single weak link can shut down power plants over large sectors of the nation. Therefore, if a utility in one state doesn’t want to upgrade, and the local government doesn’t want to require an upgrade, then the entire nation is affected.
My husband is a journeyman lineman. A couple of years ago he worked on a job in Lake Isabella, Ca. One of the poles they replaced had been in “awaiting approval” status with environmental hacks for over 2 years...and that was just to put the new pole in the same hole the old one came out of. It takes about 4 years to get approval to dig a new hole.
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