smart grid Tag

Preparing Infrastructure for a New Kind of Natural Disaster: Solar Storms

31 Jul 2023, Posted by Andrew Jefferis in All Posts, Blog Posts

Severe natural disasters are increasing in frequency –at least as measured by cost impact – in the United States, costing billions of dollars to infrastructure and property every year. Roads in the U.S. need more investment to stand up to floods and earthquakes, and insurance for natural disasters are becoming unaffordable…

South Carolina’s Energy Future

09 Jun 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

As temperatures rise and the summer power demand begins to take form, policy makers and industry leaders gathered in Columbia, South Carolina to discuss the state’s energy future. From economic competitiveness to new manufacturing, the need for new and resilient energy to meet current and future demand is essential. The…

A Different Trillion-Dollar Deficit

21 Jun 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

The federal government has spent vast resources to build and maintain the current administrative state, provide for defense, meet healthcare obligations, and more. With trillions allocated each year, spending often overtakes revenues creating massive deficits as much as a trillion dollars. But there is another trillion-dollar deficit that is draining…

How Much Land is Needed to Keep America Powered?

16 Mar 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

  Our 3.8 million square-mile nation uses its space for a lot of purposes. About 50 percent of U.S. land is used for agriculture. Roads run for over 4 million miles across the country. Forests occupy nearly 300,000 square miles. But this vast and dynamic country requires abundant energy to…

How Close Are We to a Smart Grid?

12 Feb 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

The power pulsing into your home right now probably comes courtesy of an antiquated system of power plants and transmission lines thought up while horse and buggies were still common on the streets. Even with the advent of the Internet age, we largely still use this one-way power network, and…

Aii Asks: Do you think America should Rebuild Better starting now?

21 Sep 2020, Posted by bdierker in Aii Asks, All Posts, Blog Posts

Infrastructure Week, hosted by United For Infrastructure and partnered with many organizations including Aii, has come to a close. The virtual conference included panels, papers, and perspective across the nation and from all backgrounds. The year’s theme is “Rebuild Better” with special emphasis on rebuilding America’s infrastructure, incorporating resilience, and…

Your Home as a Power Plant

04 Mar 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Residential solar systems are becoming an increasingly popular trend in the United States. By the end of 2018, the U.S. had installed enough solar panels to power 12.3 million homes, and the solar industry managed to generate a $17 billion investment in the economy. These statistics indicate that the implementation…

A perfect storm for wholesale electricity prices

30 Oct 2019, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Summer temperatures and tensions were high across the state of Texas, at least for some. While every resident of the Lone Star State dealt with immense heat during August, some Texans found themselves with ludicrously high electricity bills as well. This spike in price only affected a certain sector of Texas’…