Boulder, Colo., is known for a lot of things,
including the University of Colorado, the National Center for
Atmospheric Research, and a distinctive
hippie-progressive-outdoorsy vibe. And now, it’s about to get
the nation’s first fully-integrated “smart grid.”
A smart grid is exactly what it sounds like: an
“intelligent” power grid that uses broadband technology
to better manage multiple sources of electricity and increase
energy efficiency. In August, Xcel plans to start installing the
new smart grid with its 50,000 “smart meters” that will
serve about 100,000 residents. Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy picked
Boulder for the pilot because the Front Range city is medium-sized
and environmentally conscious. It also offers research institutions
like the University of Colorado and the National Bureau of
Standards and Technology, which is already involved in smart-grid
research for the federal government.
Kara Mertz,
assistant to the city manager in Boulder, explains that the smart
grid will employ a fiber-optic loop around the city. That network
will allow communication between households, the utility company
and the grid about the amount and source of power in use. The
system can also regulate itself. If there’s a power overload
in one part of the grid, for example, it will automatically route
power through different lines to prevent a shutdown. In addition, a
smart grid allows a consumer to choose the power sources she wants
to use – wind, solar, or coal.
The system will help
consumers make more energy-efficient choices and utilize more
renewable energy resources, says Ethnie Groves, spokeswoman for
Xcel. “If consumers can see what their households are using
on a daily basis, they’ll be better able to track their own
usage and figure out ways to save money or be more
efficient,” she says.
Smart meters allow consumers
to adjust their home power usage automatically.
“Basically,” Mertz says, “if you have a
‘smart’ appliance or a little conversion box on your
outlet to work with older appliances, the smart grid can talk
directly to those appliances … you can turn your dishwasher
on from a distance so it runs during non-peak hours, for
example.” In addition, says Mertz, the system can store power
in battery stations around the city, from which consumers can draw
during non-peak hours, and customers “can put power back into
the grid from (their) own solar panels.”
Smart-grid
technologies have been employed in other U.S. cities. In 2005,
CenterPoint Energy in Houston installed 10,000 smart meters in
customers’ houses. A smart-grid project exists in Dallas as
well, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories tested smart-grid
technologies in 300 households in Washington state in 2006. And
Pacific Gas and Electric is planning the country’s largest
smart-meter initiative: Over the next five years, PG&E hopes to
upgrade more than 10 million customer meters in Northern and
Central California.
The cost of Boulder’s pilot
system is estimated at around $100 million. To help offset that
price tag, Xcel Energy established the Smart Grid Consortium last
December, bringing together engineering firms, business leaders and
IT experts.
“We’re planning to work very
closely with Xcel throughout this process,” Mertz says.
“We’ll really push them to figure out how to maximize
the potential of this system.” According to Mertz, the city
has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent
below 1990 levels by 2012. With the projected energy efficiency of
a smart grid, “We could meet 25 percent of our goal,”
she says. “And I’m vying to be one of the test
homes.”
The author is an intern for High
Country News.
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