Another Benefit of Smart Grids: Fewer Utility Trucks Spewing CO2
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 11. 9.09
Photo: Flickr, CC
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One of the benefits of smart grids that we too often overlook is the fact that they'll greatly reduce the need for power utilities to send trucks (and often big ones) out in the field to gather data and fix problems. The most obvious example of this is the remote reading of meters instead of having to send people to read meters, but it will also help with maintenance and repairs since the grid will tell trucks exactly where to go to solve problems, reducing the number of miles driven.
Photo: Flickr, CC
Greentech Media writes:
North American utilities are expected to replace about half of their roughly 120 million electricity meters with smart meters by 2015, according to Pike Research. That could yield big of savings on truck rolls and labor costs - though utilities are no doubt negotiating the latter issue with their labor unions, as PG&E has.
Employees that are now just going from meter to meter can be deployed in other areas where they can make a bigger difference in the health and efficiency of the grid. Maybe helping with efficiency and conservation campaigns (helping people to better insulate their houses, or teach them techniques to conserve power or get the most out of the new smart meters that are rolling out), or working on installed even more smart meters.
Via Greentech Media
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