Emerging Smart Grid Struggles - Smart Grid (R) Evolution: Electric Power Struggles - page 13

Chapter 7 explores a growing movement to support small-scale distributed generation
and community-based energy initiatives and systems, empowering local control of
electricity systems. Within this chapter we explore individuals, communities, and
organizations taking control of their own local electricity systems. We introduce and
describe the notions of community-based energy, microgrid, nanogrid, locavolt, and
prosumertoexploresmall-scaleenergysystemsandlocalcontrolandbenefits.Thischapter
uses cases to demonstrate how different key actors are attempting to harness technologies
to achieve the promises of smart grid for local benefits. We highlight several small-scale
smart grid initiatives, identify the technologies, and finally identify actors and interests
most directly impacted by small-scale smart grids. Our first case tells the story of how the
city of Boulder, Colorado is attempting to municipalize its electricity distribution system,
separating itself from its current investor-owned utility which has been providing the city
with electricity since 1928. Our second case is the Pecan Street Project in Austin, Texas,
which is an example of a well-funded smart grid pilot project with a specific neighborhood
focus. The third case focuses on the efforts of the island of Bornholm, Denmark in building
an independent electricity system or microgrid. In this case, we see that decentralization
has been driven by reliability concerns and encouraged by centralized EU and Danish
national-level policies. After developing the cases, we present a few additional interesting
examples of small-scale community initiatives and then summarize the commonalities and
differences across contexts, and explore possibilities for integrating these small systems
into the overall vision of smart grid.
Chapter 8 focuses on the challenges of confronting climate change and explores the
tensions associated with how smart grid could contribute to climate mitigation as well
as climate adaptation, including resilience and preparedness. In addition to reviewing
common assumptions about the roles a smarter grid could play in a changing climate,
this chapter explores the more provocative and critical possibility that a future smart grid
electricity system could exacerbate, rather than reduce, climate risks. Given the increasing
importanceofconsideringclimate changeinalldiscussionsofenergy,thischapterprovides
a valuable perspective on an additional set of tensions regarding the environmental and
climatic impacts and potential of a smarter grid.
Chapter 9 concludes with a call for broadening smart grid conversations to advance
collaborative thinking and engagement on the social implications of energy system change.
We highlight the importance of a sociotechnical perspective that elevates social
considerations and moves beyond the dominant and narrow technical and economic
perspectives on smart grid. Acknowledging the diversity of smart grid struggles, smart
grid meanings, and smart grid opportunities in different contexts, we return to considering