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TURN ON THE
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It’s Time to Start Thinking about a Hemispheric
Smart-Power Grid for the 21st Century.
SOMEONE: FIRST LASTNAME
Ho w we collectively produce and eliver energy, while coping with the catastrophic threat of climate change, will define our century. The challenges faced by the internation- al community are monumental and
multi-faceted. They include stabilizing greenhouse gas
emissions, enhancing energy security through reducing the risk of economic disruption and nuclear weapons proliferation, and eliminating the lack of access
to energy for over 3 billion people. An estimated $20
trillion in capital investment will
be needed for energy infrastructure by the year 2030, according to
the International Energy Agency
(IEA). More specifically, to meet the
immense challenge of climate change to energy policy,
there must be dramatic changes in the historic trends
of energy and electricity supply and use.
Our hemisphere can play a key role in addressing
that global challenge by building a smart, sustainable, resilient, and secure power grid that stretches
across the Americas.
The electric power sector has already assumed
new prominence in the transformation of global ener-
gy production and delivery. It is a fundamental driv-
er of economic growth and poverty reduction; a key
sector for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through
expanded renewable power; a strategic replacement
for petroleum as the transport sector makes the long
odyssey from liquid fuels to electricity; and an essen-
tial net work whose robustness and
resilience will need to be preserved
in the face of malicious disruption
or extreme weather events.
Building on these essentials
will require a combination of innovative technology
and enlightened public policy. But the ingredients for
a smart grid network lie in the huge diversity of the
supply base in different regions.
by David Jhirad and
Alan Poole
AMERICASQUARTERLY.ORG
