An Electric Revolution, Chapter Nine: A Call to Action
In a piece on the ideological gridlock that so cripples rational discourse in Washington, D.C., columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. noted that, “The most vibrant reform alliances in our history have involved coalitions between populists (who stand up for the interests and values of average citizens) and progressives who fight...for institutional changes to improve the workings of our democracy.” The formula sounds fitting for electricity system reform.
Even while large institutions control the electricity business and the regulatory system, individual consumers have a profound role in change, if only because individual consumers have votes — for city council positions, mayors, state legislators and members of Congress. Individuals can patronize entrepreneurial businesses that develop alternative power, intelligent microgrids and distributed power generation. Such businesses and individuals also can urge government officials to consider the economic and environmental potential of aggregated power from business and industrial parks, campuses and city-wide microgrids. Individual citizens also can ask utility representatives for answers about real-time pricing and truly intelligent meters, and install smart appliances and tools such as programmable thermostats and energy management systems. All of these steps build a foundation for bringing about change.
There are dozens of websites devoted to developing intelligent grid technologies and systems, some of which focus lobbying pressure on state regulatory agencies, and others on the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Although elected officials in Washington may seem remote and detached, individual voices are powerful, as evidenced in the town hall meetings during the health care conversation. Social media are also useful for generating support for electricity reform, an issue that should find favor with populists, progressives and especially younger generations, whose lives are so filled with digital devices that depend on high-quality electricity.
