A Fresh Look at the Grid – Connecting the Dots with New Interactive Tools
Posted April 30, 2009 in Solving Global Warming
All of a sudden, congress isn't the only place where the electric grid is getting attention. In addition to transmission legislation recently introduced in the senate and the house there seems to be a flurry of reporting on grid issues lately. Some notable examples include Renewable Energy World, which is taking a month to look at issues around the smart grid on its podcast and NPR, which is devoting 10 episodes to grid issues through May 1st in a series they call "Power Hungry."
The NPR stories cover a broad range of issues from an examination of the true environmental benefits of the smart grid to land conservation issues associated with new power lines. It's a good overview of the subject with some nice interviews including a conversation with Jon Wellinghoff, the new progressive chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The accuracy is fairly good, but I did notice one discrepancy. In one piece they claim that wind power can't be stored, but in another they devote considerable attention to storage technologies and the various ways to store renewables. Unfortunately this kind of inconsistent reporting on energy storage is fairly common, but I'll leave that topic for future posts.
The best part of the NPR coverage however is their interactive map that lets you explore transmission lines, power plants, state generation mixes, renewable energy resources. This is a very bookmark-worthy resource and I would definitely recommend taking some time to explore all the layers of information that it offers.
As mentioned earlier here on Switchboard, NRDC recently launched a new renewables website with our own mapping tool showing the location of several classes of renewable power generating facilities (both planned and existing) and indications of resources strength.
In addition, NRDC recently launched another great mapping effort with Google.org and the National Audubon Society aimed at identifying areas of greatest renewable energy potential and where development would have the least harmful impact on valuable natural resources.
This is an ongoing collaborative effort aimed finding ways to accelerate renewable energy deployment while not compromising critical land conservation goals.
That should be enough to satiate you inner cartographer for one day!
