Customer & Society Benefits
A Greener Energy Future
A smarter grid will be a giant leap into the future for our nation’s electricity system. It will deliver green, renewable energy more reliably, and power up electric cars and smart appliances. Smart-grid tools will help consumers conserve more energy and save money, while heightening power reliability and making it easier than ever to start power service when you move into a new home.
Enhanced Customer Communications
Smart grid investments will enhance SCE’s ability to communicate with customers by leveraging the increasing amounts of data generated from millions of intelligent devices throughout the electric grid, allowing SCE to communicate in real-time with customers. The smart grid will provide customers with pricing and usage information necessary to help them manage consumption and production of energy at their residences or places of business.
Improving Grid Reliability
On hot summer days, when demand for electricity soars, the smart grid will route electricity precisely to where it’s needed most, helping to prevent large-scale outages. Remember the blackout of 2003 that left 50 million people in the northeastern United States and Canada without power? With smart grid technology, the lights will stay on.
Fostering a Clean-Tech Economy
The green economy is a source of new jobs for Californians. Smart grid development heightens demand for expertise in fields like renewable energy generation – including photovoltaic solar generation and wind generation. SCE works closely with local colleges and universities to train young people for well-paid jobs in the energy industry.
Reduced Dependence on Foreign Oil
Our nation’s dependence on foreign oil poses a threat to national security and to our economy. Yet demand for energy continues to grow. Turning to cleaner electricity produced by increase amounts of renewable resources instead of oil is a safer, better means of supporting the growth of the country.
