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network involved a substantial city investment, this part of the project gained community
support by emphasizing the co-benefit of providing the entire community with a rapid
internet connection.
Through a series of evolving decisions, the energy system in Summerside has changed
dramatically in just a few years. Citizens' use of heating oil has plummeted as the city's
wind capacity now provides about half of the residents' power for both electricity and
much of the community's heating needs. This story exemplifies both the evolutionary and
unpredictable nature of smart grid innovation and the resulting revolutionary changes in
the community's energy system. Investments in one set of technologies (wind power) led
to new opportunities and new justifications for supporting other kinds of investments,
including communication and social investments that have allowed this community to
become moreself-reliant initsenergysystemsastheygenerate moreoftheirelectricity and
provide for their heating needs.
The wind-to-heat project in Summerside also highlights the critical role that electricity
storage can play in energy systems. Storage could be one of the biggest game-changers in
smart grid innovation. When electricity can be stored efficiently at low cost, the system's
flexibility increases, in this case opening up new opportunities to connect electricity
production and heating needs. Just as the advent of widespread refrigeration changed our
cultural expectations, practices, and technologies associated with food and cooking, the
advent of widespread electricity storage has potential to change our cultural expectations,
practices, and technologies associated with electricity use.
9.5 Diversity of Smart Grid Futures
The Summerside example also showcases how the local context shapes smart grid and
electricity system change. There is no cookie-cutter, “one-size-fits-all” smart grid
configuration that should be replicated in communities throughout the world. Every place
has its own set of smart grid priorities and will have different opportunities and face
particular challenges. Throughout this topic's exploration of the many dimensions of smart
grid, the shift toward diversification of technologies, institutional structures, perspectives,
and actors to address specific system challenges has emerged as a central theme.
This diversity is apparent in almost every aspect of smart grid, from the promises
and pitfalls ( Chapter 2 ) to the technological components considered central to smart grid
( Chapter 3 ) . There is also diversity in priorities and perspectives among societal actors
( Chapter 4 ) , as well as diversity within societal actor subgroups. For example, we see
diversity among the established large utilities in terms of their orientation and engagement
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