Linda Blair

Posts by Linda Blair

Powering Detroit

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There’s no better place to talk engineering than Detroit. And this week, it’s been electrical power engineering, specifically. The Motor City is proudly hosting top engineering talent from around the world this week at the IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting.

More than 2,000 power engineers are participating in the IEEE conference–promoting, sharing and discussing important issues and developments in the field of electrical power engineering. This is particularly relevant against the backdrop of our nation discussing how to create a 21st century power grid. Keep reading →

 /  Published July 28, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Our Grid Needs To Be Viable Before It Can Be Smart

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Last week’s release of the White House’s Policy Framework For The 21st Century Grid signals that the national policy focus will shift back to energy in the coming months. This development is welcome news to a transmission industry that has weathered the ambiguity created by the absence of a national energy policy for years. It is smart for the Obama Administration to focus on our energy grid – a vital piece of infrastructure that is long past due for an upgrade, but a focus on “smart grid” technologies may be putting the cart before the horse.

Americans now rely on an antiquated grid that is used in ways it was never intended to be used. The majority of the existing transmission system was built more than 30 years ago and has received incremental investment since. Consider these facts: Keep reading →

 /  Published June 21, 2011 at 5:00 PM