August - September 2001

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On Electric Power Deregulation (June-July 2001)…

By any measure, the United States is the world's greatest energy waster. We consume great amounts of energy for frivolous purposes; we drive truck-like automobiles and monstrous powerboats, and we use air conditioning excessively — to the point where we must wear sweaters indoors when the outside temperature is in the 90s. Our inefficient lighting and heating systems and our low-efficiency household appliances exacerbate the waste. Finally, spanning both the energy consumption and energy efficiency issues, is our reliance on highly inefficient transportation systems, automobiles and airplanes. No other advanced country has such poor public transit facilities.

The obvious and least costly measure for dealing with the energy problem is to cut down on this waste. By using tax dollars and offering incentives for developing and using more efficient transportation systems, appliances, and home heating systems, we could slash energy consumption, reduce environmental stress, and save money. There is a lot of satisfying work here for engineers.

At the supply end, we ought to put some real resources into developing renewable energy sources. We've already reached the point where wind turbines are competitive with fossil fuel generators, even without subsidies. Photovoltaic systems are still too costly to compete in the general market, but they are useful in special situations. More R&D could easily make them more useful systems. Other types of renewable energy are promising, but they have been almost entirely neglected in this country. Solar ponds have been used in other countries and look very good because they have inherent storage capability. Anybody who stands on an ocean beach can see enormous intense manifestations of solar energy in the form of waves. Harnessing this power source presents a challenge to engineers because of the harsh conditions under which the converters must operate, but the potential rewards for success are enormous. But virtually no related work is being done in the United States.

Finally, with respect to deregulation, I feel we have taken a major step backwards. It seems clear that the distribution of electrical energy is, by nature, a monopolistic operation. It is absurd to think of having competing power networks. The public utility idea is an obvious solution: allow monopolies, but regulate them. This idea served us
well for generations, and I don't see where it led to any significant breakdowns. We should fine-tune the system as appropriate; throwing it out would be a big mistake.

— Stephen H. Unger
IEEE Fellow
West Nyack, New York

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