One of the smaller but interesting election results from yesterday is the success of a grassroots movement in Boulder, CO to reject ballot measure 310 and that pitted New Era Colorado, a local political organization, against Xcel Energy. A well produced video of New Era Colorado’s campaign outlines their objectives and illustrates some of the more traditional tactics taken by Xcel.
In many ways it is a microcosm of debates and discussions around local governance and control going on in other communities, and highlights some interesting aspects of how the landscape is changing for energy utilities and municipalities.
The smart grid is not just another way to deliver energy. It is intrinsically linked to urban and social infrastructure, and is best looked at as part of a comprehensive energy plan that also includes energy efficiency for new and existing buildings, public infrastructure such as street lighting and traffic signals, and the support of private and public electric vehicles. The smart grid also provides a way to localize energy production by harnessing microgeneration as an addition – or an option – to the traditional grid.
Identifying benefits is easier with an holistic energy strategy. Rather than look at smart grids, renewables, and retrofits as separate activities, many cities are developing comprehensive climate and carbon reduction plans, best illustrated by the C40 Cities and the Carbon Disclosure Project, which Autodesk has a long involvement with. Reducing demand by encouraging more energy efficiency by introducing incentives for housing, businesses, and transportation can further improve the feasibility of a localized smart grid. This approach can be perceived as being a direct challenge to the business model of the existing energy industry, which they can either embrace or fight.
Change is not just technological, but political. The Boulder example shows that change can also be effected at a local level through effective public engagement and setting a compelling vision for a community. The often tone deafness of incumbent utilities to public concerns about smart grid technology is well documented elsewhere, such as Smart Grid News, and shows how important it is for traditional energy provides to become good at something they’ve never really regarded as a priority – public relations and community engagement.
Alan Saunders, Autodesk’s senior industry manager for utilities, sees this as an evolution of the “local control” debate in the age of social media and grassroots activism where “not in my back yard” becomes “not in my backyard without my input”. He highlights that Xcel invested millions of ratepayer funds in Smart Grid City for Boulder but failed to estimate the full cost of the project, as described in this Daily Camera article from 2010. Could better planning and stakeholder engagement from Xcel could have helped avert the conflict between community and utility?
There are so many threads of how BIM can be relevant in this, from helping planners and stakeholders understand options for urban design, creating a comprehensive energy plan for a community, to how to mandate LEED standards for buildings. Most of all, it highlights the importance and value of communicating effectively with stakeholders and facilitating collaboration between communities, government, and utilities (incidentally topicof a TedX Talk I gave last year).
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