House Hearing on Transition to Smart Grid

The House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Energy and Environment held a hearing on the progress towards transforming our electricity delivery system to a smart grid, including the roles of the federal government and industry in the transition from our current aging power generation and distribution infrastructure to the next generation of electrical infrastructure, called the smart grid. "Even today with tremendous advancements in technology, electrification is considered the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century," said Subcommittee Chairman Brian Baird (D-WA). "However, parts of this infrastructure are nearly a century old, and our increased reliance on electrical power is straining this systems' capacity." The smart grid is a two-way communication system for managing our electric infrastructure that offers utilities and consumers more information regarding electricity supply, consumption, and price which would ultimately modify patterns of electricity usage. It would give consumers access to real-time pricing, which will enable them to use energy when the price is lowest. For example, if electric use in an area is high, customers will see that the price at that time is higher, and they may choose to limit or delay energy usage until the price goes down, like running the dishwasher later in the evening instead of right after dinner, when the air conditioning and the television are also running.