No super grid for PHEVs needed in many areas

Ready for the plug-in revolution?

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how one utility executive claimed that 3 - 5 plug-ins in one neighborhood could "overwhelm" the grid. Well, that's California. In other areas the situation is not so dire for plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Mike Ligett, director of emerging technology for Progress Energy Corp., which serves Florida and the Carolinas, recently stated, "People who want to build out a smart grid on the backs of electric transportation aren't doing us any favors. We do not need a smart grid to make this work. We have plenty of capacity; we have lots of off-peak energy."

Of course, is the energy clean? Likewise, should Floridians, for instance, have to suffer for California's utility problems? Then again, based on the sales of hybrid cars, plug-in success might be dependent upon California.

Aside from making the nation's grid more robust, a super grid might also enable clean solar energy from Florida or California to power Ohio in the winter. Or, wind energy in North Dakota could power West Virginia if CO2 sequestration can't clean coal efficiently.

Still, is a super grid about solutions, or the new - after big oil - big electric energy power trip?