Dive Brief:
- Modernizing the nation's electric grid could save up to $101.57 per consumer per year, according to a study from the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative.
- "The study presents quantifiable direct and indirect economic and environmental benefits of grid modernization based upon real-life case studies," said SGCC Executive Director Patty Durand. "This research also indicates there is a strong business case for advancing our electric grid."
- The stakeholder group also said the study shows a smart grid can deliver significant environmental benefits through conservation and renewable generation integration, amounting to savings of between 55 to 592 lbs. of carbon dioxide emissions per consumer per year.
Dive Insight:
While it is easy for those with a stake in grid modernization to tout this study and others like it, there are still significant challenges to achieving their goals. First, there are real concerns across the U.S. about the cost of a smart grid to ratepayers and the technology's effect on privacy. But just as important is the realization that the smart grid is intended to deliver electricity through a traditional grid infrastructure, which does not take into account the demands of a public that seems to want equal weight given to a future that relies significantly on distributed generation.