Obama putting $3.4B toward a 'smart' power grid

For 3.4B you could make 140,000 households run completely off-grid. That would be much better than helping out commercial energy companies that should use their own money to update the grid. For the amount of the supposed "bailouts" our entire country could be self sustained and off-grid. Obama doesn't give a rats ass about helping people. No one in our government cares.

reply to post by marg6043


What a fantastic way of "accidentally" depopulating a country overnight.

1 Wait for winter.

2 Accidentally turn of everyones heating at 2am.

3 Claim it was a mistake,say sorry.

4 Bury the old and vunerable who froze to death.

5 Repeat for maximum effect.

I have said this before,but the government is attempting to institutionalise everyone-take away choice after choice,and the human mind will atrophy,until it depends upon others to make the choices.
Tie up someones shoelaces for them everyday for a year or two,and they will forget how to do it themselves.

Its all planned folks.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


Is a psychological warfare that is been wagged against the population in the nation of the free.

Well since the stimulus worked I dont see why this wouldnt.

49 out of 50 states lost jobs after stimulus

So in this I can only say this is like another bailout only for electricity companies...

Next will be gas, then mcdonalds, then jenny craig, then we will all be on some main st us panhandling for food..

Good work.. make is even more rich...

A day late and a buck short if you ask me. Sure a step forward is good, but how many times have initiatives been "implemented" only to be stalled and mothballed a year or two down the road. Our power grid.. NEEDS to fail. totally.

Short of that we will never see the fruits.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


That's what the swine flu vaccines are for! Haha, J/k! (probably not that funny)

The world is not going to end & People are not going to freeze to death by this "new" grid. Try and think positive about what is happening here!

Of course when the government tells us one thing they mean another, but you have to realize that this IS a positive change. Solar energy is what we should have been using all along since we've had the technology. Sooooo, many positive things can happen from this.

Just remember that one's thoughts have more impact on this planet then one may think.

The idea of the smart power grid is a good one. I'm all for it! But as usual, there's a major obstacle that always seems to get in the way of progress that both parties are guilty of - what else are Senate and House Democrats going to try to tag onto the Smart Grid bill? That's what you have to watch out for.

reply to post by berrygurrl


Thanks berrygurrl,
I do hope you are right,I really do.
You are right that its always best to try to be positive,even if its not always easy to.

Originally posted by peponastick
So let me get this right...

You guys are celebrating the fact that the gov't will be able to track every ounce of energy you use and tax you on excessive energy use. I'm not against conservation I'm against the gov't having more power. Let the markets drive the change not the gov't. It always leads to the same spot, the gov't over-reaching into the personal lives of americans. Anything with the word "smart" in it can be replaced by Big Brother.

To bad that the markets, like everything in life, can become corrupt once it has to much power.

You realize if we had a pure market, that eventually (IMO), our country would become an oligopoly? The only reason he has not is because of certain laws and restrictions. It sure feels damn close though.

Let me put it this way. Other energy sources will almost always be cheaper than our "new" technology, until it is to late. By the time oil and such are more expensive than solar panels and such, it will be to late and we will have to take a VERY HEAVY hit transferring over. Best to start now.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


then get solar power or your own oil tank.

Really, there is nothing stopping people from getting their own power.

I think in theory it's a good idea, I just don't want it to be national in scope, because that's like Christmas lights, one goes out, all of them do.

reply to post by berrygurrl

President Barack Obama made a pitch for renewable energy Tuesday, announcing $3.4 billion in government support for 100 projects aimed at modernizing the nation's power grid.

To understand this all you have to know is:Daily Presidential Tracking Poll (Obama at nearly all time low)
Obama is the most unpopular president for 50 (50!) years. Obama is searching for something to make him look presidential. Yesterday it was the swine flu emergency today it is an energy crysis/ pitch for renewables!

FYO, renewables have a larger carbon footprint, are less efficient, are higher in cost in general than conventional energy. There are some exceptions some of which I know well from personal experience over 30 years.

Solar is completely uneconomical and unrealistic, wind is pretty much a joke in its present state of application in the midwest and most others are simply unpractical or in the early state of development at this time.

Sorry to burst your bubble but Obama is blowing smoke and grasping at straws and always has been on the renewable energy issue.

I'm a renewable energy nut. Always have been. Wish it was the solution. It just isn't with a few small exceptions I'd be willing to discuss.

reply to post by plumranch


Well the article did mention that they are getting grants and investors to fund this project.

You mentioned that you've been into renewable energy for quite some time now, why do you think its pointless to proceed with the "smart" grid? Out of curiosity what would you think would be a better solution?

Originally posted by LordBaskettIV
For 3.4B you could make 140,000 households run completely off-grid.

You shouldn't be completely off-grid, simply because it's inefficient. There can be (and there will be) excess capacity in one place and a spike in demand in another. Not to mention a possible downtime of your local power source.

You can't build an economical wind turbine in your backyard, you need to use economies of scale. You need grid to access farms in remote locations.

and just where in the heck is this money coming from ?? thin air ??!?

how is it Obama can just pull this money out of nowhere ?? the U.S.A. is going broke yet he spends money like a 20-something spoiled billionaire.

he is going to destroy the U.S.

spend spend spend...with no care as to where it comes from or who it hurts (taxpayers)


AG




[edit on 28-10-2009 by Alpha Grey]

Not so sure ide trust a dgiital meter* seems like anything digital can be manipulated! kinda like going digital, some kinda power freak happens, people at eh electrical company get greedy, and you find a bill for 3 times what your supsoped to have payed!
For starters, i kinda wish it was cheaper and easier to change over to gas usaeage for now, and get off oil* furnace oil, diesel fuel, is carcinogenic, and by todays standrads, expensive!!! hell we pay about $900 for 180 gallons, here in the northeast! during winter!!! Thats enuogh to last us here, 3 people in a house, about month and ahlf to 2 months, daily 15 minute hot showers and washing machine mostlly, ut at night wwe turn heat down to conserve..and end up with2 or 3 comforters to use, shivering oourselves to sleep, til our body heat builds up under the covers.
Freind at work, converted his parnets to gas years ago, like 12. Thier bills are MAD cheaper by comparison!!! Instead of paying taht $900 every 2 months lets sayl or less, they payed like $200....BIG DIFFERENCE!
Lets face it..the oil companys want to stay in cokntrol, and charge what they want..no money=nooil=no heat or hot water* thats a monopoly on an economic scale!

reply to post by Alpha Grey


In the scheme of things, 5 bil isn't that much. That is is a couple of fighter jets.

reply to post by berrygurrl

You mentioned that you've been into renewable energy for quite some time now, why do you think its pointless to proceed with the "smart" grid? Out of curiosity what would you think would be a better solution?

I checked and found this;
From DOE doles out smart grid stim

• Make the grid more reliable and reduce power outages that cost American consumers $150 billion per year • Install more than 850 sensors for better grid monitoring and the incorporation of renewable energy across the entire electric grid • Install more than 200,000 smart transformers • Install nearly 700 automated substations • Improve outage detection and enable faster response time if service restoration becomes necessary • Install more than 40 million smart meters • Install more than one million in-home displays, 170,000 smart thermostats and 175,000 load control devices • Achieve 20% more energy from renewable sources by 2020

The down side of government funding for Smart Grid is:

Given the expense of overhauling the nation’s electric grid, government funding is a necessary requirement for many utilities to get started, but it has also slowed down the movement as a lot of utilities waited to see if they would be amongst the 100 to receive funding. By providing the capital for upfront expenses, but not operating expenses, smart grid stimulus funds have also had the result of keeping telcos out of the smart grid opportunity, according to some

I question the part going to renewable sources as government funding for renewables has a history of being inefficient, wasteful and ineffective. It doesn't seem to say how much is going into solar for example or wind.

I think government should stay out of energy entirely and let the industry decide what and where the priorities are based on economics not politically correct government bureaucrats who seem to be nearly always wrong.

In Iowa around where I grew up there are wind generators as far as the eye can see. Enough, they say to replace a power plant or hydroelectric facility. Problem is the generators usually aren't running. They are required to stay shut down except at peak electrical demand times. Doesn't that sound like the government? Pay to have a multibillion dollar wind generation grid then require that it be shut down most of the time!

I always wondered why Warren Buffet the champion of US business would support antibusiness Obama then I found out why. Buffet owns a giant share of Iowa Power Company and other midwest power plants. Buffet worked with the Obama admisistration to get a back room deal to keep the wind generators shut down except at peak energy so Buffet could make his millions producing dirty coal power in his out of date power plants!

Now there is some inefficiency and a huge carbon footprint all decided behind closed doors and compliments of our ecofriendly, politically correct government!

I'm steamed and you should be too!

Originally posted by plumranch
I think government should stay out of energy entirely and let the industry decide what and where the priorities are based on economics not politically correct government bureaucrats who seem to be nearly always wrong.

Corporate bureaucrats have no interest in "economics" but rather in "increasing shareholder value", to put in in polite terms. They'll have no qualms destroying the environment or being wasteful as long as they make a buck. Call it economics if you wish, but they have us over the barrel.

Wind energy made great strides in Texas under the leadership of none other than George W Bush, and you certainly can't accuse that person of being left wing nut.

We do need government initiatives when it relates to energy, and to more efficient transmission thereof. Corporations have failed so far to adequately address this, and you are arguing against the obvious.

Capitalism in its pure form does not a miracle make.

My job looks secure

WASHINGTON - Whirlpool Corp. will receive $19.3 million in stimulus funding to help the nation develop a more efficient electrical system, the federal government announced Tuesday.

The funding will help Whirlpool make smart appliances capable of communicating over a network with other technologies. Such appliances will allow customers to defer or schedule their energy use, which could lower consumer costs and reduce peak electricity demand, according to a news release issued by Michigan's U.S. senators, Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow.

Detroit Edison Co. was awarded an even larger sum. The electric utility will receive $83.8 million in stimulus funds for its SmartCurrents program, which includes deployment of a network of 660,000 smart electricity meters.

Both companies are required to match the federal grants, which were made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Michigan projects are part of $3.4 billion the federal government will distribute nationwide.

"These grants mark a major investment not only in the smart grid, which will benefit all Americans, but in Michigan's manufacturing sector, which will lead to new jobs and economic revitalization," Levin said a the news release. "Just as Michigan was an industrial leader in the 20th century, it will lead in green energy manufacturing in the 21st."

An analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute estimates that the implementation of smart grid technologies could reduce electricity use by more than 4 percent by 2030. That would mean a savings of $20.4 billion for businesses and consumers around the country.