November 1, 2006—The electric power system of 2025 will have to fuel everything from robotic home security guards to “tele-emersion” — a next generation concept for telecommuting that mimics physical presence at a distance — according to a report released by the Galvin Electricity Initiative.
To meet these needs, the United States electric power system must: become highly efficient, from generation to end-use; adapt to allow consumers control of their energy service; provide perfectly reliable, digital quality power; meet increasing plug loads as electricity replaces other uses of fossil fuels; and incorporate smart technologies that mitigate the effect of outages and attacks.
“Unfortunately, our electric power system is already stretched to its limits,” said Kurt Yeager, executive director of the Galvin Electricity Initiative and former president of the Electric Power Research Institute.
The Galvin report, “Forecasting the Future of Electricity,” concluded that the three fundamental drivers of for the evolution of electric energy service will be:
- Energy efficiency and domestic energy resources
- Environmental impacts
- Transformation from a mechanical or analog society to a fully digital one that requires perfect power quality.
The Galvin Electricity Initiative, launched by former Motorola chief Robert W. Galvin, is leading a campaign to transform the nation’s electric power system into one that can truly meet the needs of this new century.
To determine these needs, Galvin brought together a team of futurists and experts on energy, business and planning to chart the major trends of the next 20 years.
For more information, see the Web site.
