Proclaiming the GND is Important, and
Suggesting That Smart Grid Infrastructure Includes Energy Storage
My 2 cents:
1) The GREEN NEW DEAL: THIS. IS. IT.
By embodying climate, justice and livelihood, the GND is the answer to America’s slide toward inequity, corporatism, plutocracy and their attendant destruction of our environment. It’s the Blue-Green Answer. Just as the New Deal reversed those trends following the Great Depression, so the GND is intended. As such, IMHO we must push the Democratic Party HARD.
The DNC’s history of centralism, incrementalism, and fear of progressiveness must be overcome. Pelosi’s offhand comment “green dream or whatever...” deeply offends me, but I shouldn’t be surprised. IMHO She is not onboard with the viability of this or she wouldn’t have made that calculated statement to take wind out of the GND sails.
IMHO Every grassroots group needs to be relentless in pushing the Dems hard on GND, and should have squawked loudly when the House Climate Committee didn’t get the robust launch it should have — a missed opportunity.
An additional half-cent on approach: Let us not demonize who we need to convince, including the GOP. Focus on the behaviors and policies, not the people.
2) A "smart" electric power grid should include plenty of energy storage.
By these two GND goals:
- Generate 100 percent of the nation's electric power from renewable sources.
- Build a national, energy-efficient "smart" electric power grid.
the GND right now implies a “wired” solution to the intermittency issue of renewable (solar & wind) energy, that is, a massive transmission grid. We’ll need some of that, but mostly, IMHO, we need energy storage. Many areas can generate the power they need, but not when they need it. Relying on a grid centralizes power. Using a Distributed Energy Resource (DER) approach decentralizes, using batteries/storage in homes, buildings, campuses and neighborhoods. This has started, but needs to be elevated.
I just put up my research on energy storage as an article:
The Future In Store
— Three futures and a quick primer in energy storage for clean energy advocates
which has a
- a short narrative with
- a primer on energy storage.
A wires-only smart grid solution has some issues. As noted in my article,
“Despite heavy pressure, this summer the California legislature did not pass AB 813, the grid regionalization bill, as described by Dave Roberts.”
Going across state line is under the jurisdiction of FERC, part of the Trump Administration.
In a mixed wire/storage future, most everyone would still have some reliance on a transmission grid. The questions are,
- How much buildout? How many miles and $$$ trillions?
- How will costs be apportioned? Will those that don’t use the transmission grid nearly as much pay the same transmission fees?
- Will most of the power come from remote undeveloped land that has been newly industrialized, or from our rooftops and already-developed land closer by?
I note that grid policy, like internet policy can be benevolent or skewed (ala revoking net neutrality).
There are a LOT of tech and cost estimates to discuss. My point is that all the benefits and costs of future energy architectures should be discussed. Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and storage offer a number of justice benefits not always included in a sheer minimum cost analysis, like resilience, local jobs, less environmental impact, equity, etc. Personally, I concur with a sensible mix, incorporating justice aspects.
So, there are a LOT of tech, cost estimates and justice aspects to discuss.
In conclusion, is the GND ambitious? Heck. yeah! Is it possible? Absolutely! Ask Stanford professor Mark Jacobson, who has studied just such a 100% clean scenario. It just takes political will.