Power Hungry: Reinventing The U.S. Electric Grid http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103281114&ft=1&f=103281114 The nation's electricity grid is facing a crisis it's outdated and unprepared for increasing demand and a future that includes more renewable sources of energy. In a weeklong series, NPR is examining the state of the nation's electricity infrastructure. en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Fri, 01 May 2009 00:43:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Power Hungry: Reinventing The U.S. Electric Grid http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103281114&ft=1&f=103281114 New Grid May Be Needed, But So Is Smarter Use Plans are under way to beef up the nation's electricity transmission grid. At the same time, conservationists are trying to reduce the vast amount of power wasted in homes and offices. If we used energy more efficiently, would we need to spend billions of dollars on a new grid? Fri, 01 May 2009 00:43:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103713402&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103713402&ft=1&f=103281114 Plans are under way to beef up the nation's electricity transmission grid. At the same time, conservationists are trying to reduce the vast amount of power wasted in homes and offices. If we used energy more efficiently, would we need to spend billions of dollars on a new grid?

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]]> Could Energy Innovation Create A 'Green Bubble'? The Obama administration has been heavily promoting the development of more renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar. In the wake of the housing bubble, some are speculating about whether a renewable energy bubble might be on the horizon. Fri, 01 May 2009 00:33:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103631430&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103631430&ft=1&f=103281114 The Obama administration has been heavily promoting the development of more renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar. In the wake of the housing bubble, some are speculating about whether a renewable energy bubble might be on the horizon.

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]]> Young Workers Find Opportunity In Power Industry A large sector of the work force that runs the electrical system in the U.S. is expected to retire soon, depleting the supply of workers to maintain the grid and keep the lights on. So power companies find themselves training new workers to repair and maintain some very antiquated equipment. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:05:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103629929&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103629929&ft=1&f=103281114 A large sector of the work force that runs the electrical system in the U.S. is expected to retire soon, depleting the supply of workers to maintain the grid and keep the lights on. So power companies find themselves training new workers to repair and maintain some very antiquated equipment.

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]]> Power Structures Shape Northwest Landscape Across the Pacific Northwest, large pieces of electrical infrastructure, both old and new, speckle the landscape. From gigantic cooling towers to dams along the Columbia River to the new wind farms sprouting up on hillsides, electricity has worked its way into the fabric of the land. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:24:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103648455&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103648455&ft=1&f=103281114 Across the Pacific Northwest, large pieces of electrical infrastructure, both old and new, speckle the landscape. From gigantic cooling towers to dams along the Columbia River to the new wind farms sprouting up on hillsides, electricity has worked its way into the fabric of the land.

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]]> Power Industry Sees New Phase In Energy Use As plans are made to revamp the U.S. electric grid, many in the electric industry see their job as a simple one: to keep the lights on. But others, including Xcel Energy, are bringing smart grid technology — and new business challenges — to entire cities. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103438965&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103438965&ft=1&f=103281114 As plans are made to revamp the U.S. electric grid, many in the electric industry see their job as a simple one: to keep the lights on. But others, including Xcel Energy, are bringing smart grid technology — and new business challenges — to entire cities.

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]]> The Grid May Be Smart, But Will It Also Be Green? The push is on to make the nation's aging electricity grid smarter, so it can handle our growing demand for electricity. Many assume that a smart grid will also be a green grid — delivering clean electricity and helping to address climate change. But that's not necessarily so. Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103415232&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103415232&ft=1&f=103281114 The push is on to make the nation's aging electricity grid smarter, so it can handle our growing demand for electricity. Many assume that a smart grid will also be a green grid — delivering clean electricity and helping to address climate change. But that's not necessarily so.

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]]> The Challenge: Constant Current From Fickle Winds In many remote areas of the country where wind is plentiful, no power is harnessed from the land because there aren't enough transmission lines to carry the electricity. And though the Plains offer untapped electrical potential, grid managers worry that the erratic nature of wind could make the grid unreliable. Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:03:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103575144&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103575144&ft=1&f=103281114 In many remote areas of the country where wind is plentiful, no power is harnessed from the land because there aren't enough transmission lines to carry the electricity. And though the Plains offer untapped electrical potential, grid managers worry that the erratic nature of wind could make the grid unreliable.

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]]> Smart Meter Saves Big Bucks For Pa. Family By installing a smart meter on her Pennsylvania home, Tammy Yeakel and her family are able to save nearly 20 percent on their electric bill each month. They can track their energy consumption in real time on a Web site provided by her power company, PPL. Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:50:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103437607&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103437607&ft=1&f=103281114 By installing a smart meter on her Pennsylvania home, Tammy Yeakel and her family are able to save nearly 20 percent on their electric bill each month. They can track their energy consumption in real time on a Web site provided by her power company, PPL.

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]]> Building Power Lines Creates A Web Of Problems To create a new energy economy with much more solar and wind energy, thousands of miles of new transmission lines must be built across the nation. But finding suitable locations to place the lines is incredibly complicated without a federal body to oversee planning. Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:26:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103537250&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103537250&ft=1&f=103281114 To create a new energy economy with much more solar and wind energy, thousands of miles of new transmission lines must be built across the nation. But finding suitable locations to place the lines is incredibly complicated without a federal body to oversee planning.

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]]> A Green Challenge: Make Renewables Reliable Bringing renewable energies like wind and solar power onto the electric grid is the first step toward making the grid both green and smart, but engineers and power companies must also find solutions to the challenges of renewable energies, which don't produce consistent, reliable power. Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103526574&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103526574&ft=1&f=103281114 Bringing renewable energies like wind and solar power onto the electric grid is the first step toward making the grid both green and smart, but engineers and power companies must also find solutions to the challenges of renewable energies, which don't produce consistent, reliable power.

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]]> An Aged Electric Grid Looks To A Brighter Future The nation's electricity grid is facing a crisis — it's outdated and unprepared for increasing demand and a future that includes more renewable sources of energy. A new digital smart grid is part of the picture envisioned by advocates, as is building new electricity infrastructure. Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:01:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103327321&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103327321&ft=1&f=103281114 The nation's electricity grid is facing a crisis — it's outdated and unprepared for increasing demand and a future that includes more renewable sources of energy. A new digital smart grid is part of the picture envisioned by advocates, as is building new electricity infrastructure.

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]]> Putting A Price On Smart Power An improved electric grid could potentially make electricity more reliable, more efficient, cleaner and perhaps even cheaper. But what would it cost to actually build it, and how much would it save? Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103545351&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103545351&ft=1&f=103281114 An improved electric grid could potentially make electricity more reliable, more efficient, cleaner and perhaps even cheaper. But what would it cost to actually build it, and how much would it save?

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]]> A Modern Electric Grid: The New Highway System? The prospect of building a national, modern electric grid shares many of the same political and social challenges that President Eisenhower faced when pioneering the national highway system in the mid-1950s. Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103349614&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103349614&ft=1&f=103281114 The prospect of building a national, modern electric grid shares many of the same political and social challenges that President Eisenhower faced when pioneering the national highway system in the mid-1950s.

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]]> Series Overview: Electricity In America In a series of stories airing this week on <em>Morning Edition</em> and <em>All Things Considered</em> and published here on NPR.org, we examine the costs, the politics and other challenges of upgrading the country's electricity grid. Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103417561&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103417561&ft=1&f=103281114 In a series of stories airing this week on Morning Edition and All Things Considered and published here on NPR.org, we examine the costs, the politics and other challenges of upgrading the country's electricity grid.

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]]> Visualizing The U.S. Electric Grid The U.S. electric grid is a complex network of independently owned and operated power plants and transmission lines. Aging infrastructure, combined with a rise in domestic electricity consumption, has forced experts to critically examine the status and health of the nation's electrical systems. Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=110997398&ft=1&f=103281114 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=110997398&ft=1&f=103281114 The U.S. electric grid is a complex network of independently owned and operated power plants and transmission lines. Aging infrastructure, combined with a rise in domestic electricity consumption, has forced experts to critically examine the status and health of the nation's electrical systems.

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