SmartMeters and the smart grid will steal your freedom to choose

Russ Steele

By now many residence of Nevada County have their SmartMeter installed and connected to PG&E’s mesh network. This network is collecting data on citizens electrical, and if they have natural gas, their total energy usage. 

I learned to night on the Glenn Beck program that a smart grid was mandated in California by SB 17 which was signed by our Governor in October 2009. 

What will the smart grid do for you, or maybe too you would be a more appropriate term.  According to AB17 the purpose is to modernize the states transmission and distribution system, to maintain safe,
reliable, efficient, and secure electrical service, with
infrastructure that can meet future growth in demand and achieve all of the following [My comments in brackets]:

1.  Increased use of cost-effective digital information and control technology to improve reliability, security, and efficiency of the electric grid.[Operative word is control technology, your smart meter can turn off your power in an instant with flick of the switch in the Control Center]
2. Dynamic optimization of grid operations and resources,including appropriate consideration for asset management and utilization of related grid operations and resources, with cost-effective full cyber security. [At the present time there are no published smart grid security standards, power companies can make them up as they install the system.]
3.  Deployment and integration of cost-effective distributed resources and generation, including renewable resources. [Read that to mean renewable resource of wind and solar which the power companies have no control over the output, the wind blows and the sun shines when Mother Nature decides, not the power company.]
4.  Development and incorporation of cost-effective demand response, demand-side resources, and energy-efficient resources.[ The power company has only two demand responses, increase output or reduce demand. They will have the power to reduce demand over the smart-grid by turning up or down your thermostat, turning off the dish washer, the big screen TV, etc. Since AB32 mandates CO2 reductions, which do you thinking they will do? ]
5. Deployment of cost-effective smart technologies, including real time, automated, interactive technologies that optimize the physical operation of appliances and consumer devices for metering, communications concerning grid operations and status, and distribution automation.      [The power companies will have total control of all the appliance in you home with embedded smart chips.]
6. Integration of cost-effective smart appliances and consumer devices. [The law mandates integration of smart chips into all appliances and the manufactures are complying, with over a 100 signed up to include smart chips in AC, TV, Washers, Dryers, Dishwasher, etc,.]
7. Deployment and integration of cost-effective advanced electricity storage and peak-shaving technologies, including plug-in electric and hybrid electric vehicles, and thermal-storage air-conditioning. [If your have an electric vehicle plugged in the network, it will be considered a storage device. The network will decide if you have a full charge in your electric in the morning, or not.]
8.  Provide consumers with timely information and control options. [ This is the social engineering part, you will be provided the tools and incentive to modify your lifestyle to same energy for the power company and to preserve the planet from CO2 pollution.]
9.  Develop standards for communication and interoperability of appliances and equipment connected to the electric grid, including the infrastructure serving the grid. [These are the standards that manufacturers will use to insure that your new appliances can be monitored and controlled by a central authority over the smart grid. No rogue appliance allowed, all must meet the standard.]
10.  Identification and lowering of unreasonable or unnecessary barriers to adoption of smart grid technologies, practices, and services.[ If you get in the way you will be crushed.] 

Had enough of AB 17 yet. Quite frankly, there is not much you can do except avoid buying new appliance with the embedded smart chips. However, if you own a company or building, the California Smart Grid Center is already testing retrofit smart thermostats for your existing AC system. We have been had by the Legislature and the Governor and the Public Utilities Commission, bend over and pretend you like it.