Many people have expressed the need to modernize and upgrade our electrical transmission system to a unified smart grid. A smart grid system would employ a nation-wide “backbone” of high voltage transmission lines that connect “smart” local electric utilities to distant power plants. As more local utility networks are upgraded to smart grids, interactions with these backbone power lines will become more coordinated. A smart grid would maximize the efficiency of our nation’s electricity use, while greatly reducing waste and loss. Hydropower from the northwest could be directed to the Dakotas if that area’s wind turbine output decreases. Solar power from Arizona would be able to supply manufacturing in Ohio, or evening wind power from the Northeast could be used to supply power peak demand during the day in Nevada. Environmentalists say a unified smart grid and renewable power sources are essential to eliminating our carbon emissions. The cost of a unified smart grid has been estimated at $400-$500 billion.

Proposed Legislation: H.R.5428 - Grid Modernization Research and Development Act of 2020
Prospective Sponsor: Rep. Connor Lamb (PA)


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