Millions of Americans remain in the dark, some utilities are saying it could take 10 days to restore power after Hurricane Sandy.
The United State’s most hated corporation is experiencing rare praise after its success getting the power back on after Hurricane Sandy. According to the dcist.com, Pepco, the utility generator for the Washington DC area, managed to get power back to 19 thousand on the same day they lost it, and promised the remaining 2 thousand would have the lights on by the next day.
Feedback from smart meters installed in 425 thousand homes allowed Pepco to know exactly where power was out, and once restored, the utility could also “ping” meters to verify service - instead of sending out a crew or making a phone call.
The Obama administration invested $11 billion from the 2009 stimulus package to upgrading the “intelligence” of the US grid. Mark Brownstein with the Environmental Defense Fund told American Public Media that the American grid will need an investment of $1.5 trillion in the next two decades to be truly “smart”.
Meribeth Deen is a freelance writer, researcher, broadcaster and film-maker. Her writing has appeared in Canadian Geographic, the Vancouver Sun, Alberta Ventures Magazine, Green Living Online, THIS Magazine and Alternatives Journal.
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