Download or read book Modernizing America s Electricity Infrastructure written by Mason Willrich and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2017-11-10 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive, coherent strategy for modernizing America's electricity infrastructure while ensuring affordable, reliable, secure, and environmentally sustainable electricity services. America's aging electricity infrastructure is deteriorating rapidly even as the need for highly reliable electric service—driven by the explosion of digital technology—continues to rise. Largely missing from national discussions, however, is a coherent, comprehensive national strategy for modernizing this critical infrastructure. Energy expert Mason Willrich presents just such a strategy in this book, connecting the dots across electric utilities, independent suppliers, government bureaucracies, political jurisdictions, and academic disciplines. He explains the need for a coherent approach, offers a framework for analyzing policy options, and proposes a step-by-step strategy for modernizing electrical infrastructure, end-to-end, in a way that ensures the delivery of affordable, reliable, secure, and environmentally sustainable electricity services. Willrich argues that an effective electrical infrastructure modernization strategy must incorporate flexibility, adaptability, and the capacity to coordinate policies at local, state, and federal levels. He reviews the history of America's electrification, from Edison's demonstration of the incandescent light bulb through the recent expansion of wind, solar, and energy efficiency as carbon-free energy resources. He describes the current ownership and operation of the electric industry and the complicated web of federal and state policies that govern it.
Download or read book Living on the Grid written by William L. Thompson and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2016-05-21 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There’s probably a good chance that you’ve turned on your television, computer, or an appliance without giving much thought about the electric grid. But when there’s a power outage, it’s a different story. Suddenly, you’re asking yourself questions such as: What is the electric grid and who owns it? Who controls the grid and how is it controlled? What causes a grid blackout? What is the future of the grid? William L. Thompson, who retired from Dominion Virginia Power after thirty-eight years in the electric business, answers those questions and many more in this book for anyone curious about the electric grid and how it works. In plain, simple language, he reveals what goes on behind the scenes at grid control centers across the country. He also explains how electricity is generated through renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. He also examines the causes behind the largest blackout in United States history and how global warming and technological developments could permanently change Living on the Grid.
Download or read book The Power of Change written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-09-30 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Electricity, supplied reliably and affordably, is foundational to the U.S. economy and is utterly indispensable to modern society. However, emissions resulting from many forms of electricity generation create environmental risks that could have significant negative economic, security, and human health consequences. Large-scale installation of cleaner power generation has been generally hampered because greener technologies are more expensive than the technologies that currently produce most of our power. Rather than trade affordability and reliability for low emissions, is there a way to balance all three? The Power of Change: Innovation for Development and Deployment of Increasingly Clean Energy Technologies considers how to speed up innovations that would dramatically improve the performance and lower the cost of currently available technologies while also developing new advanced cleaner energy technologies. According to this report, there is an opportunity for the United States to continue to lead in the pursuit of increasingly clean, more efficient electricity through innovation in advanced technologies. The Power of Change: Innovation for Development and Deployment of Increasingly Clean Energy Technologies makes the case that America's advantagesâ€"world-class universities and national laboratories, a vibrant private sector, and innovative states, cities, and regions that are free to experiment with a variety of public policy approachesâ€"position the United States to create and lead a new clean energy revolution. This study focuses on five paths to accelerate the market adoption of increasing clean energy and efficiency technologies: (1) expanding the portfolio of cleaner energy technology options; (2) leveraging the advantages of energy efficiency; (3) facilitating the development of increasing clean technologies, including renewables, nuclear, and cleaner fossil; (4) improving the existing technologies, systems, and infrastructure; and (5) leveling the playing field for cleaner energy technologies. The Power of Change: Innovation for Development and Deployment of Increasingly Clean Energy Technologies is a call for leadership to transform the United States energy sector in order to both mitigate the risks of greenhouse gas and other pollutants and to spur future economic growth. This study's focus on science, technology, and economic policy makes it a valuable resource to guide support that produces innovation to meet energy challenges now and for the future.
Download or read book Electric Power System Basics for the Nonelectrical Professional written by Steven W. Blume and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-12-05 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition of Steven W. Blume’s bestseller provides a comprehensive treatment of power technology for the non-electrical engineer working in the electric power industry This book aims to give non-electrical professionals a fundamental understanding of large interconnected electrical power systems, better known as the “Power Grid”, with regard to terminology, electrical concepts, design considerations, construction practices, industry standards, control room operations for both normal and emergency conditions, maintenance, consumption, telecommunications and safety. The text begins with an overview of the terminology and basic electrical concepts commonly used in the industry then it examines the generation, transmission and distribution of power. Other topics discussed include energy management, conservation of electrical energy, consumption characteristics and regulatory aspects to help readers understand modern electric power systems. This second edition features: New sections on renewable energy, regulatory changes, new measures to improve system reliability, and smart technologies used in the power grid system Updated practical examples, photographs, drawing, and illustrations to help the reader gain a better understanding of the material “Optional supplementary reading” sections within most chapters to elaborate on certain concepts by providing additional detail or background Electric Power System Basics for the Nonelectrical Professional, Second Edition, gives business professionals in the industry and entry-level engineers a strong introduction to power technology in non-technical terms. Steve W. Blume is Founder of Applied Professional Training, Inc., APT Global, LLC, APT College, LLC and APT Corporate Training Services, LLC, USA. Steve is a registered professional engineer and certified NERC Reliability Coordinator with a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering specializing in power and a Bachelor's degree specializing in Telecommunications. He has more than 25 years’ experience teaching electric power system basics to non-electrical professionals. Steve's engineering and operations experience includes generation, transmission, distribution, and electrical safety. He is an active senior member in IEEE and has published two books in power systems through IEEE and Wiley.
Download or read book Transformation of the Electric Utility Business Model written by John Manshreck and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2021-11-22 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines business model transformation through the study of electrical utilities, an industry at the center of today’s efforts to combat climate change. When change comes to the business model of such a mature industry, the pattern is often recognizable. The foundational elements of the industry shift, allowing the innovation of business models by new competitors, while established firms face the threat of disruption. The utility sector, after decades of relative stability, is in the midst of such a transformation today. After providing a historical summary of the dominant business models of the utility sector, Transformation of the Electric Utility Business Model looks at the factors currently impacting the industry. Utilities and policy makers today are facing two long-term issues that will dominate their agendas in the coming decades: rebuilding utility infrastructure to enable the decarbonization of the economy, and managing the risk of catastrophic events that can leave large areas without power for extended periods. Fortunately, with proper planning, many utility investments in decarbonization will also support risk management. However, these investments are often not compatible with current utility business models, requiring creativity and new regulatory frameworks to successfully implement. This book considers the impact of these factors, and then discusses the future. This well-researched, extremely insightful book is essential reading for all those with an interest in business strategy, energy studies and sustainability.
Download or read book The Grid written by Julie A Cohn and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2018-02-02 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The history of the grid, the world's largest interconnected power machine that is North America's electricity infrastructure. The North American power grid has been called the world's largest machine. The grid connects nearly every living soul on the continent; Americans rely utterly on the miracle of electrification. In this book, Julie Cohn tells the history of the grid, from early linkages in the 1890s through the grid's maturity as a networked infrastructure in the 1980s. She focuses on the strategies and technologies used to control power on the grid—in fact made up of four major networks of interconnected power systems—paying particular attention to the work of engineers and system operators who handled the everyday operations. To do so, she consulted sources that range from the pages of historical trade journals to corporate archives to the papers of her father, Nathan Cohn, who worked in the industry from 1927 to 1989—roughly the period of key power control innovations across North America. Cohn investigates major challenges and major breakthroughs but also the hidden aspects of our electricity infrastructure, both technical and human. She describes the origins of the grid and the growth of interconnection; emerging control issues, including difficulties in matching generation and demand on linked systems; collaboration and competition against the backdrop of economic depression and government infrastructure investment; the effects of World War II on electrification; postwar plans for a coast-to-coast grid; the northeast blackout of 1965 and the East-West closure of 1967; and renewed efforts at achieving stability and reliability after those two events.
Download or read book Grid 2030 a National Vision for Electricity s Second 100 Years written by United States United States Department of Energy and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2015-12-16 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 65 senior executives representing the electric utility industry, equipment manufacturers, information technology providers, Federal and state government agencies, interest groups, universities, and National Laboratories met to discuss the future of North America's electric system. (A list of the participants can be found in the appendix.) The intent of the meeting was to identify a national vision of the future electric system, covering the entire value chain: generation, transmission, distribution, storage, and end-use. The focus was on electric delivery - "the grid," or the portion of the electric infrastructure that lies between the central power plant and the customer - as well as the regulatory framework that governs system planning and market operations. The purpose of this document is to describe the common vision articulated at that meeting. The U.S. Department of Energy will use this vision to help implement President Bush's call for "...modernizing America's electric delivery system" and the 51 recommendations contained in the National Transmission Grid Study. Various stakeholders, including industry practitioners, policy makers, and researchers, will use the vision as the coordinating foundation for actions leading to the construction of a 21st century electric system. The vision will guide the development of the National Electric Delivery Technologies Roadmap.
Download or read book Enhancing the Resilience of the Nation s Electricity System written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2017-10-25 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Americans' safety, productivity, comfort, and convenience depend on the reliable supply of electric power. The electric power system is a complex "cyber-physical" system composed of a network of millions of components spread out across the continent. These components are owned, operated, and regulated by thousands of different entities. Power system operators work hard to assure safe and reliable service, but large outages occasionally happen. Given the nature of the system, there is simply no way that outages can be completely avoided, no matter how much time and money is devoted to such an effort. The system's reliability and resilience can be improved but never made perfect. Thus, system owners, operators, and regulators must prioritize their investments based on potential benefits. Enhancing the Resilience of the Nation's Electricity System focuses on identifying, developing, and implementing strategies to increase the power system's resilience in the face of events that can cause large-area, long-duration outages: blackouts that extend over multiple service areas and last several days or longer. Resilience is not just about lessening the likelihood that these outages will occur. It is also about limiting the scope and impact of outages when they do occur, restoring power rapidly afterwards, and learning from these experiences to better deal with events in the future.
Download or read book Grid 2030 a National Vision for Electricity s Second 100 Years written by UNited States UNited States Department of Energy and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-06-24 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On April 2-3, 2003, 65 senior executives representing the electric utility industry, equipment manufacturers, information technology providers, Federal and state government agencies, interest groups, universities, and National Laboratories met to discuss the future of North America's electric system. (A list of the participants can be found in the appendix.) The intent of the meeting was to identify a national vision of the future electric system, covering the entire value chain: generation, transmission, distribution, storage, and end-use. The focus was on electric delivery - "the grid," or the portion of the electric infrastructure that lies between the central power plant and the customer - as well as the regulatory framework that governs system planning and market operations. The purpose of this document is to describe the common vision articulated at that meeting. The U.S. Department of Energy will use this vision to help implement President Bush's call for ..".modernizing America's electric delivery system" and the 51 recommendations contained in the National Transmission Grid Study. Various stakeholders, including industry practitioners, policy makers, and researchers, will use the vision as the coordinating foundation for actions leading to the construction of a 21st century electric system. The vision will guide the development of the National Electric Delivery Technologies Roadmap.
Download or read book The Energy Switch written by Peter Kelly-Detwiler and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-06-15 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The energy industry is changing, and it’s far more than just solar panels. Electric vehicles look to overtake gasoline-powered cars within our lifetimes, wind farms are popping up in unlikely places, traders are transforming energy into a commodity, and supercomputers are crunching vast amounts of data in nanoseconds while helping to keep our energy grids secure from hackers. The way humans produce, distribute and consume power will be cleaner, cheaper, and infinitely more complex within the next decade. In The Energy Switch, leading energy industry expert Peter Kelly-Detwilerlooks at all aspects of the transformation: how we got here, where we are going, and the implications for all of us in our daily lives. Kelly-Detwiler takes readers to the frontlines of the energy revolution. Meet Steve Collins, an executive from Commercial Development Corporation, the company that blew up two $570-million-dollar concrete cooling towers to create a staging ground for the new $70 billion U.S. offshore wind industry; Rob Threlkeld, a General Motors executive who convinced the auto giant to sign multiple 20-year renewable energy contracts worth hundreds of millions; Kevin McAlpin, a Texas homeowner who buys the power for his home on the electricity spot market – where prices can soar from less than one cent a kilowatthour to $9.00 over the course of a single day; Dr. Kristin Persson, who oversees a supercomputer that can process data at 30 quadrillion calculations per second, in the quest for better renewable energy and battery technologies; and John Davis, a Texas rancher who can keep his land intact, with help from the royalty payments from seven turbines spinning on his range. Energy creation and distribution has driven society’s progress for centuries. Today, people are increasingly aware that it is imperative that humans move towards a cleaner, digitized, and democratized energy economy. The Energy Switch is about that multi-trillion dollar transformation, told from the perspective of those leading us to that bright future.
Download or read book The Grid written by Gretchen Bakke and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2017-07-11 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revelatory look at our national power grid--how it developed, its current flaws, and how it must be completely reimagined for our fast-approaching energy future. America's electrical grid, an engineering triumph of the twentieth century, is turning out to be a poor fit for the present. It's not just that the grid has grown old and is now in dire need of basic repair. Today, as we invest great hope in new energy sources--solar, wind, and other alternatives--the grid is what stands most firmly in the way of a brighter energy future. If we hope to realize this future, we need to reimagine the grid according to twenty-first-century values. It's a project which forces visionaries to work with bureaucrats, legislators with storm-flattened communities, moneymen with hippies, and the left with the right. And though it might not yet be obvious, this revolution is already well under way. Cultural anthropologist Gretchen Bakke unveils the many facets of America's energy infrastructure, its most dynamic moments and its most stable ones, and its essential role in personal and national life. The grid, she argues, is an essentially American artifact, one which developed with us: a product of bold expansion, the occasional foolhardy vision, some genius technologies, and constant improvisation. Most of all, her focus is on how Americans are changing the grid right now, sometimes with gumption and big dreams and sometimes with legislation or the brandishing of guns. The Grid tells--entertainingly, perceptively--the story of what has been called "the largest machine in the world": its fascinating history, its problematic present, and its potential role in a brighter, cleaner future.
Download or read book Lights Out written by Jason Makansi and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2007-08-24 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A behind-the-scenes exposure why our electricity system is headed for a state of emergency-and what can be done to head it off Most people don't realize that skyrocketing global energy demand and economic growth severely affect the supply of electricity. Between production (power plants) and delivery is an antiquated, "third-world" transmission grid that is in desperate need of hardening against breakdowns, terrorist attacks, inadequate carrying capacity, and operational obsolescence. And while electricity doesn't hold the headlines or dramatic power of oil, the ability to ensure its uninterrupted supply at a reasonable price is even more essential to global survival and prosperity. Lights Out is today's most detailed, in-depth examination of this largely unreported looming energy crisis. Written by one of the world's top electricity industry experts, this powerful book covers numerous hot button economic and political issues-free markets versus regulation; energy independence versus foreign imports; nuclear power, global warming, and other environmental issues; and much more. Beyond just uncovering and illuminating the problems, however, it proposes a comprehensive road map of technical solutions and regulatory reform from both the production and demand sides of the equation-a framework for rethinking, rebuilding, and enhancing the entire electricity production and delivery infrastructure. Prescriptive and provocative, Lights Out will redefine the simmering debate on how the world can-and must-act now to head off a global catastrophe, one that could eventually wreak even more havoc than the ongoing oil crisis. Jason Makansi is the President of Pearl Street, Inc., a consulting firm; Principal of PS Liquidity Advisors, an advisory service for energy technology companies raising capital; and Executive Director of the Energy Storage Council, a public-policy advocacy organization. A prolific author, respected industry thought leader, and seasoned communicator, Mr. Makansi has been analyzing the technological, business, and regulatory issues in electricity production and delivery for over twenty-five years. He earned a BS in chemical engineering from Columbia University. His earlier books include An Investor’s Guide to the Electricity Economy, also published by John Wiley & Sons, and Managing Steam: An Engineering Guide to Commercial, Industrial, and Utility Systems.
Download or read book America s Energy Future written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-01-15 with total page 736 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For multi-user PDF licensing, please contact customer service. Energy touches our lives in countless ways and its costs are felt when we fill up at the gas pump, pay our home heating bills, and keep businesses both large and small running. There are long-term costs as well: to the environment, as natural resources are depleted and pollution contributes to global climate change, and to national security and independence, as many of the world's current energy sources are increasingly concentrated in geopolitically unstable regions. The country's challenge is to develop an energy portfolio that addresses these concerns while still providing sufficient, affordable energy reserves for the nation. The United States has enormous resources to put behind solutions to this energy challenge; the dilemma is to identify which solutions are the right ones. Before deciding which energy technologies to develop, and on what timeline, we need to understand them better. America's Energy Future analyzes the potential of a wide range of technologies for generation, distribution, and conservation of energy. This book considers technologies to increase energy efficiency, coal-fired power generation, nuclear power, renewable energy, oil and natural gas, and alternative transportation fuels. It offers a detailed assessment of the associated impacts and projected costs of implementing each technology and categorizes them into three time frames for implementation.
Download or read book Modernizing energy infrastructure written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Energy and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Shorting the Grid written by MEREDITH. ANGWIN and published by . This book was released on 2020-10-19 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Shorting the Grid" describes how closed meetings, arcane auction rules, and five-minute planning horizons will topple the reliability of our electric grid. Hopeful speeches will not keep the lights on.
Download or read book Lights Out written by Ted Koppel and published by Crown. This book was released on 2015 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A nation unprepared : surviving the aftermath of a blackout where tens of millions of people over several states are affected.
Download or read book Superpower written by Russell Gold and published by Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2020-11-10 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meet Michael Skelly, the man boldly harnessing wind energy that could power America’s future and break its fossil fuel dependence in this “essential, compelling look into the future of the nation’s power grid” (Bryan Burrough, author of The Big Rich). The United States is in the midst of an energy transition. We have fallen out of love with dirty fossil fuels and want to embrace renewable energy sources like wind and solar. A transition from a North American power grid that is powered mostly by fossil fuels to one that is predominantly clean is feasible, but it would require a massive building spree—wind turbines, solar panels, wires, and billions of dollars would be needed. Enter Michael Skelly, an infrastructure builder who began working on wind energy in 2000 when many considered the industry a joke. Eight years later, Skelly helped build the second largest wind power company in the United States—and sold it for $2 billion. Wind energy was no longer funny—it was well on its way to powering more than 6% of electricity in the United States. Award-winning journalist, Russel Gold tells Skelly’s story, which in many ways is the story of our nation’s evolving relationship with renewable energy. Gold illustrates how Skelly’s company, Clean Line Energy, conceived the idea for a new power grid that would allow sunlight where abundant to light up homes in the cloudy states thousands of miles away, and take wind from the Great Plains to keep air conditioners running in Atlanta. Thrilling, provocative, and important, Superpower is a fascinating look at America’s future.
