By Ellie Gabel
People interested in sustainability have likely heard discourse about the power grid. News outlets are discussing how it may or may not support electric cars. Others say it’s prone to threatening cybersecurity attacks. No matter the debate, there are known socioeconomic benefits to upgrading the U.S. power grid. What are they, and how can the nation capitalize on them for a better tomorrow?
Credit: Rolypolyman (talk) – Own work (Original text: I created this work entirely by myself. Data source: FEMA via NREL. http://www.nrel.gov/gis/data_analysis.html)
Improved Energy Efficiency for Reduced Waste
Most grid machinery is aged. Around 70% of transmission lines are at least 25 years old, inching closer to the end of their life. This legacy technology uses far more resources to operate than modern variations. People must also consider how the extra stress on the equipment causes more wear and tear. The technology overcompensates, making energy demands more severe. Both of these circumstances combined yield copious energetic and electronic waste.
Therefore, upgrading the grid is necessary to balance social and economic health. The waste impacts well-being and federal funding equally. Old tech uses polluting fossil fuels, and e-waste leaches into soil and waterways, causing increased health problems. Cleaning up this preventable mess is a waste of government resources and time. Instead, societies should use money and labor to invest in novel grid tech or further stimulate the economy.
Relying on the outdated grid also generates billions in financial waste. Mindful reductions in energy consumption are the first steps to saving on utility costs, maintenance investments and more. A recent report revealed how much different regions in the U.S. would save by prioritizing energy efficiency. California could save $6.3 billion by 2030 and $11.7 billion by 2050. Texas would see even more monumental savings — $19.5 billion by 2050.
Enhanced Reliability and Resilience Against Damage
Natural disasters cause millions in damage yearly, and the price will soar. Since 1980, there have been 383 disasters causing over $1 billion in losses — imagine how many more caused millions. Critical infrastructure like the grid is susceptible to faltering against the elements.
Recuperating from these circumstances is also costly. Utility companies and governments spend countless dollars getting everything operational again. With the grid likely in a worse condition than before the disaster, usage prices escalate during recovery — when citizens need financial stability the most. Using more robust, stronger tech means recovery is less extensive. Fewer resources go offline and societies are safer.
A sturdy grid is an emotional, practical and financial foundation against extreme weather and the climate crisis. This is why the Inflation Reduction Act includes so many grants and financial aid options to reinforce grid infrastructure. The Tribal Climate Resilience and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities programs are examples of these necessary enhancements. Fixes could include burying transmission lines safely underground or surrounding wires with shields.
Lowering the frequency of outages, disruptions, downtime and overloads is critical to surviving an energy-demanding future. A single blackout could uproot essential industries like health care or financial services, leading to further crises. It prevents people from receiving the attention they need, creating a country with no trust in its most vital systems.
Integration of Renewable Energy Resources for Savings
Renewable and green technologies, like electric vehicles or solar panels, are becoming more viable. Installing battery energy storage solutions makes them even more favorable. Most arguments against sustainable energy expansion and vehicle electrification say the grid cannot support them. However, tech like this is essential for an Earth-friendly future, and neglecting the grid is delaying inevitable progress.
A new grid considerate of the intermittency of renewable power generators delivers socioeconomic stability for workers in the sector and homeowners. Prices for green tech will lower as it becomes more commonplace in a grid capable of supporting it. The novelty of it will die down, empowering renewable energy companies by making their products more competitive and supportive of domestic growth.
Boosting the grid and pairing it with renewable energy preserves socioeconomic wellness by:
- Lowering carbon emissions
- Reducing commercial and residential bill costs
- Encouraging market competition for new technologies
- Investing in research and development
- Creating career opportunities
Energy Equity for Environmental Justice
Lowering costs of renewable energy means installation may occur in more places nationwide. Upgrading the grid makes cleaner, cheaper energy available to low-income communities. Around one in seven families in the U.S. experience energy poverty, which impacts their employment, dietary and housing decisions.
Continually relying on fossil fuels and an aging grid limits the freedom of underserved and underdeveloped areas. Fossil fuel power sources harm these regions more, causing additional illness and financial stress.
A lack of access to reliable energy deepens the struggles of these areas. Boosting the accessibility of upgraded, carbon-friendly grid assets could help lift towns out of economic distress. Advocating for an energy-efficient, green grid promotes an end to unjust sociocultural structures that harm minority communities.
Smart Grid Technologies for Security and Monitoring
Repairing and monitoring the legacy grid is time-consuming and costly in terms of labor and money. Employing smart grid equipment like sensors, remote operating systems and drones is crucial for an automated, intelligent system. These devices refine oversight, preventive maintenance and emergency response times. Leveraging these tools makes the grid last longer because it is easier to identify problems and solutions. It encourages proactive instead of reactive maintenance, salvaging the grid’s integrity before concerns become unmanageable.
Additionally, critical infrastructure is vulnerable to more cyberattacks. Compromising the grid is highly lucrative for criminal organizations, so they devise new tactics every year to breach whatever they can. The grid has over 55,000 substations and 450,000 miles of power lines needing protection — that’s a massive surface area for hackers to play with.
Stopping criminals from dismantling the grid is essential for maintaining peace. Smart grids supplement the efforts of cybersecurity analysts because they’re programmed with extensive defenses. They also help identify and isolate incoming threats. Most old tech is no longer supported with updates to withstand novel threats, and a modern grid would be more considerate and adaptable to security enhancements.
A connected database to transmission lines may use artificial intelligence. It could learn power usage trends, monitor parts and automatically regulate load. If a weather event or cyberattack occurs and the grid stops functioning, operators know the cause immediately. This allows them to detect threats, repair machinery and prevent socioeconomic collapse quicker than ever before.
Job Creation for Stable Economies
Job creation is one of the hottest topics in socioeconomic stability. Doing a massive grid overhaul requires all hands on deck. Countless jobs will be available for entry- and professional-level employees. A better grid also leads to expanded mobile networks. This will increase internet connectivity, opening doors for numerous other positions unrelated to the grid, such as remote and hybrid positions. More areas will have access, broadening their options.
The effort is an ideal chance to upskill tenured experts in the field, teaching them how to interact with new machinery. Fossil fuel workers need alternative avenues as their positions become more obsolete by the year. Additionally, it provides well-paying jobs to young professionals in reliable trades. Younger generations desire positions where they have an impact, and the countless advantages an updated grid promises may satisfy the urge for a higher purpose. A plethora of industries would have vacancies, including the following:
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Urban planning
- Engineering
- Information technology
- Sustainable energy
- Cybersecurity
These positions should reduce unemployment rates, invest more in the salaries of those who need them and stimulate economic growth from more content citizens. As previously explored, outages disproportionately impact underserved areas, so improving equipment while boosting livelihoods will provide more societal balance.
Information Access for an Educated Population
Upgrading the grid will impact energy and digital literacy nationwide. Workers will learn useful skills, expanding their marketability and knowledge. Additionally, the increased distribution will make the average citizen more aware of how corporate and individual grid usage impacts socioeconomic well-being.
This could change the habits of homeowners and businesses who know how to better utilize these precious resources without exploiting them. Smart devices provide numerical evidence, contextualizing the impact of their energy choices.
It also normalizes the spread of information organizations would potentially deem proprietary. For example, a company may desire to withhold blueprints for efficient, smart grid technology. However, labeling information as trade secrets prevents citizens from experiencing the advantages of a better society.
Utilities like energy are essential for survival and shouldn’t be gatekept behind corporations. Supporting grid modernization opens opportunities for people to witness and interact with infrastructure as it grows. It also gives businesses a chance to connect with other companies, sharing insights into how to improve these technologies.
Power Grid Upgrades Are Socioeconomic Advocacy
An advanced grid is a win for countless in the U.S. It benefits employers by expanding into new verticals and hiring enthusiastic staff. People have more consistent utilities that are less prone to cyberattacks or environmental damage. They feel encouraged to turn their lights on because they know the grid relies on clean power instead of fossil fuels. Every advantage falls under the primary umbrella of amplified socioeconomic betterment for the nation.
About the Author
Ellie Gabel is the sciences editor at Revolutionized, where she specializes in astronomy, environmental science, and innovative technologies.