Promises and Pitfalls of Smart Grid - Smart Grid (R) Evolution: Electric Power Struggles - page 19

To set the stage for the rest of the topic, this chapter presents the broad range of positive
and negative perceptions of smart grid prioritized by different actors across different
contexts. The chapter is structured to first present the positives, then the negatives, and
then concludes by highlighting the policy implications of the tensions between the two
extremes.
We explore the ambiguous and interconnected nature of smart grid, focusing on the
most vociferously argued smart grid “imaginaries” (Jasanoff 2006 ) . We realize that, as
with most public controversies, those who focus on either the extreme positive or the
extreme negative are often dismissed; the prophets of utopian and dystopian futures are
often vigorously decried as noisy extremists. In the case of smart grid, however, these
voices are directly influencing smart grid implementation. The extreme as well as the more
mundane perspectives are critically important to understand because they set the stage for
public conversations about sociotechnical change in electricity systems.
This chapter provides a foundation for subsequent chapters exploring the breadth of
different technologies ( Chapter 3 ) and stakeholders ( Chapter 4 ) associated with smart
grid development, and the more detailed discussions of emerging tensions in smart grid
development presented in the second part of this topic ( Chapters 5 , 6 , 7 , and 8 ) .
2.2 Promises of Smart Grid
Smart grid promises an improved electricity system with multiple benefits; many of these
benefits are represented in the idealized vision of a smart grid future in Figure 2.1 .
The many promises of smart grid include a more reliable, resilient, and secure energy
sector; a stronger economy; a cleaner environment; and a more empowered and engaged
citizenry. In this section we describe the dominant promises often put forward to justify
investmentinmovingtowardandinvestinginelectricitysystemchange.Whilethemultiple
promises of smart grid can be categorized into distinct types of societal benefits (reliability,
environmental improvement, efficiency of resources, etc.), most of these are intricately
linked with each other. The claim that “smart grid would help make everything better”
(Kowalenko 2010 ) summarizes a utopian vision of smart grid. In this optimistic vision,
electricity systems “should deliver more power, more reliably, and with greater efficiency,
wherever and whenever needed. Outages and brownouts should be infrequent, localized,
and quickly resolved. Less energy should be lost in generating, transmitting, and delivering
electricity, and every conceivable source of electric power should be used” (Berger 2008 ) .
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the United States add that smart
microgrids show “great promise for bringing basic electricity services to people who
currently lack them” (Nordman 2010 ) .