Smart meter screenshot
Here’s a brief teaser for my latest blog post at Forbes.com:
Public doubts about smart meters — the basic components of a smart grid — are in the news once again.
The New York Times just ran a piece about the “Stop Smart Meters” movement in the San Francisco Bay area. Health and privacy are key concerns there. On the health side of the equation, some people worry about possible negative effects caused by the wireless signals broadcast from smart meters.
From the Times:
The health concerns about the smart meters focus on the phenomenon known as “electromagnetic hypersensitivity,” or E.H.S., in which people claim that radiation from cellphones, WiFi systems or smart meters causes them to suffer dizziness, fatigue, headaches, sleeplessness or heart palpitations. (At a recent Public Utilities Commission hearing on smart meters, an audience member requested that all cellphones be turned off as a gesture to the electrosensitive people in the audience.)
Opponents of smart meters say that wireless systems aren’t necessary for a smart grid. I asked smart grid expert, and author of The Smart Grid Dictionary, Christine Herztog, about that claim.
“Most smart meters in this country are wireless,” Hertzog responded, “while in Europe most are PLC [Power Line Carrier -- meaning that the utility lines themselves are used to communicate data].” The problem with PLC, she explained, is that “if the electricity drops, so does the ability to communicate. Wireless – if the electricity drops, the ability to communicate remains until the battery dies.” Large utilities with many distant customers combine wireless and PLC communications.
So, the truth is that smart meters aren’t exactly necessary for a smart grid — but for technical and economic reasons — they’re here to stay.
But, do wireless smart meters really pose a public health danger?
The full article is at Edison 2.0, my blog on Forbes.com.
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