$51.8 MIL UPGRADE TO U.S. GRID

This is good news because a better grid is something all consumers of electricity need but it is especially good news because upgrades facilitate transmission of renewable energies like wind and solar that, being intermittent, put more strain on the wires.

Energy Department OKs power grid projects
June 27, 2007 (UPI)

WHO
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Secretary Samuel Bodman;

WHAT
DOE will provide $51.8 million for 5 shared-cost upgrade projects on the U.S. power grid.
some of the regions requiring improvement (click to enlarge)

WHEN
Announced June 27.

WHERE
- Power delivery equipment research: Southwire Co. of Carrollton, Ga.; and the American Superconductor Co. of Westborough, Maine.
- Fault current limiter projects: American Superconductor; SC Power Systems of San Mateo, Calif.; and SuperPower Inc. of Schenectady, N.Y.

WHY
- Project will be managed by DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)
- The improvements will speed development of high-temperature superconductors which will relieve electricity grid congestion by decreasing flow resistance.
all the stuff in the grid (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
Bodman: "Modernizing our congested and constrained electric grid through the development of advanced, new technologies is vital to delivering reliable and affordable power to the American people…As demand for electricity continues to grow, we must take steps now to identify potential problems, identify solutions, and deploy new technologies to provide a secure and steady energy supply."