Energy Awareness. Whats the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of those two words?

The first thing most of us think of is Power Plants (Nuclear, Coal, etc), or "Green Energy" (Wind, Solar, Geothermal, etc), or The light bill (and how high its become these days!). All of these--minus the light bill--fall under the category of Electricity generation. This is the first process in the delivery of the juice we need to power our ipods, toasters and other devices.

It is common for folks to only think of Electricity generation as the only part of our Energy network, but it is only a small part of the entire Energy System. With the presidential elections right around the corner, we have heard alot about what the future holds for Electricity generation in the US. Its great that alot of emphasis is being placed on our sources of energy, but what has been missing from the discussion is the 10-30 year plan for the rest of the Energy system. So as a technologist, I will do my best to bring Awareness to the latest technology for Electricity Transmission, Distribution and Demand.

Electricity Transmission and Distribution

Electricity Transmission is the part of the system where power is delivered from the power plant to substations. The substations then distribute the electricity to local power-hungry consumers and businesses. As consumers, many of us are unaware of this process. Here is a question for ya. Do you know where and how the electricity is generated for your home or business? Well, you can find out by contacting your Energy provider. I found out that my provider actually has a plan where I can "switch" to Wind Energy. Electricity Transmission and Distribution are two important parts of the Energy System, and when the lights go out, it is usually because something went wrong here, not at the source. Fixing this "infrastructure" is a challenge but as Electricity Demand continues to rise, finding solutions for the problems that occur here, becomes more and more important.

Electricity Demand

Electricity Demand isexatly what you think it is; the ammount of electrical power demanded on a given region. Whenever we plug something in the wall, or turn on a light, or run the A/C we are "demanding" electricity. During the day the demand is higher than at night because we are usually up and actively working throughout the day , while at night we are usually sleep and consuming less electricity. Electricity demand is the natural act of us going about our daily lives. It does however, becomes a problem during periods of high demand such as hot summer days.

Energy Awareness Consumer Technology of the Day

Now that we have gained some awareness of our electric system, here is a cool device that will give you the consumer a better idea of what each of your appliances and devices demand. Its called the Kill a Watt, and all you do is plug in into the wall, and plug your device or appliance into it. It will give you a real time view of the amount of electricity being consumed. Check out the video after the break for more info.

Posted by Guru Lloyd | tagged: Awareness, Energy, Technology, Lloyd