Earth Equity News

Hurdles (Not Financial Ones) Await Electric Grid Update. By Matthew L. Wald, NYTimes, February 7, 2009. "Environmentalists dream of a bigger and 'smarter' electric grid that could move vast amounts of clean electricity from windswept plains and sunny deserts to distant cities... The Obama administration has vowed to make the grid smarter and tougher, allocating $11 billion in grants and loan guarantees to the task in the economic stimulus package passed by the House last week. But... opposition to power lines from landowners and neighbors, local officials or environmental groups, especially in rural areas, makes expansion difficult -- even when the money for it is available. And some experts argue that in the absence of a broader national effort to encourage cleaner fuels, even the smartest grid will do little to reduce consumption of fuels that contribute to climate change. In fact, energy experts say that simply building a better grid is not enough, because that would make the cheap electricity that comes from burning coal available in more parts of the country. That could squeeze out generators that are more expensive but cleaner, like those running on natural gas. The solution is to put a price on emissions from dirtier fuels and incorporate that into the price of electricity, or find some other way to limit power generation from coal."