/ By

NJ Spotlight reports:  “Until now, New Jersey has hardly embraced efforts to make the grid smarter, mostly due to costs, which could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. After (Hurricane) Sandy, however, both lawmakers and the president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities have said that the state needs to take another look at the issue and decide whether the benefits outweigh the costs.” 



A smart grid is viewed by proponents as a planned nationwide network that uses information technology to deliver electricity more efficiently and reliably — so much so that advocates have called it “electricity with a brain.’’
Its benefits apply to both consumers and utilities. For customers, it could lead to fewer and shorter service interruptions during major storms. It could also mean lower bills thanks to reduced demands for electricity. For utilities, it could improve grid reliability and diminish the need for expensive capital transmission projects.
Jersey Central Power & Light, probably the most widely criticized utility when it comes to restoring power after the recent storms, last week proposed a pilot project to develop a smart meter system for its customers.


Not everyone is convinced that smart meters are worth the cost
It doesn’t provide the bang for the buck that some people argue,’’ said Stefanie Brand, director of the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel, in a telephone interview. “They don’t pay for themselves and I don’t think they are smart,’’ she said, referring to the so-called smart meters. 
When a storm like Sandy hits the state, the outages are so extensive — 2.7 million of New Jersey’s electric customers were without power at some point — that smart meters provide little help determining where restoration efforts should be directed, according to Brand.


Read the full story here. 

Related:
Sandy and the smart grid: who won? 

***********************************************************************************************************
For thorough coverage of environmental news, issues, legislation and regulation in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, try a FREE subscription to EnviroPolitics, our daily newsletter that also tracks environment/energy bills–from introduction to enactment 
***********************************************************************************************************

Our most recent posts:
Open-space funding bills head to NJ Gov. Christie’s desk
Meg Morris promoted to new post at Covanta Energy
How about that: The Green Car of 2013 is not an import
NJ enviro groups’ billboard: Here’s looking at you, DEP
How has limited liability corporation law changed in NJ?





Verified by MonsterInsights