Grid Power Security in question and solutions

waynefromnscanada

Click on link, then click on "Power Security" to listen to a very interesting talk on the same. A podcast from CBC Radio.
Some very interesting concepts.
http://www.cbc.ca/spark/popupaudio.html?clipIds=2302692038,2302694335,2302695472,2302695933,2302696420,2302696640#

niel

Re: Grid Power Security in question and solutions

he has difficulty trying to explain things. he could've just said upfront that if everybody had their own generators then that could be construed as their own little mini grids. if they get a bigger generator to give power to say 5 houses then it is a bigger mini grid. this can go on until you have something as large as the power company has.

he is also wrong that separate meters for incoming power and outgoing power are necessary as one meter can reflect the difference and in what direction. those separate meters are really just the brainstorming of utilities on how they can profit from the power being put into the grid at a lower rate than what the same place would have to pay when consuming power. power companies don't make as much $ if the power you sold them is at the same rate that you consume it at.

as to shutting down bad parts of the grid, well that already takes place in most cases.

he started to touch on the argument utilities often give and stopped shy of properly addressing that in that the renewable sources can't be switched on or off as a generator can to reflect the ongoing needs of the grid. of course there is so little renewable sources going to the grid in the u.s. and canada that it doesn't matter and their arguments don't hold water at such low percentages of the overall generated power.