1) The “father of the smart grid”, the IEEE (an industry agency) named him the “thought leader of the year”… explains the reasons for the $$mart grid, most of which make no sense at all. Please read the comments, and consider making your own!! This grid is a failure in every sense except that the industries are getting rich off of it at our expense – no end of expense.
“Smart grids provide energy security because they help a country reduce its dependence on foreign energy supplies. They also protect a country’s economic interests and the environment. To build a truly smart grid, we need a better backbone for the grid and we must also build intelligence into the system end-to- end.
The desired system will require a high-voltage power grid that can serve as its backbone and also efficiently integrate renewable resources into the grid. It will likely cost about $82 billion, or $8 billion per year for 10 years, to achieve the upgrades needed for the high-voltage system serving the U.S.
Making the grid smarter — which will be achieved by replacing traditional analog components with digital ones and incorporating the computing, IT, sensors and other equipment — will have a separate price tag. This will cost about $338 billion to $476 billion over the next 20 years, or about $17 billion to $24 billion annually.”
http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/08/nextbigfuture-interview-with-ieee.html
2) In Australia, the people are catching on to the fact that their government and utility are misleading them by changing terms, etc. But it does appear as if people will be able to keep their analogs. The comments are interesting, especially one about the smeters making the grid vulnerable and some deal with China being thwarted.
3) ITRON, along with Landis+Gyr, have signed on with TransData to handle smeter data communications. This one company, TransData, will be handling and, therefore, will have access to data from nearly all of utility customers in North America. This is called “Data Fusion”. To me, this seems as if our data will be even more vulnerable. Too many eggs in one basket.
“TransData is claiming that its smart meter patents are being used in approximately 90% of smart meters using wireless communications deployed in the US and Canada…
In a combined statement, the power company said it believes that Itron’s technology will help in the real time acquisition, processing and management of grid data.”
http://fusion4freedom.us/itron-landisgyr-enhance-smart-meter-connectivity/
4) Further on “Data Fusion”, everything is gathering our data and the $$mart meters are just one more tool, opening our home and our lives to the world.
5) If these $$meters are so wonderful, why are utilities across North America resorting to tactics just like those used by BC Hydro – intimidation, harassment, lies, even loss of power – to get these on homes? Companies are allowing people to keep their analogs, but look at the “release” one utility is forcing its customers to sign:
“Customer hereby agrees to release, hold harmless, and indemnify AEP/PSO, American Power Company, Inc., and all of their affiliated companies, and any of their officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against losses, liabilities, costs, expenses, suits, actions, and claims, including claims arising out of injuries to person or damage to property, caused by or in any way attributable to or related to Customer’s request for a non-standard meter, the removal of an advanced meter, and/or the subsequent installation of non-standard meter.”
https://smartgridawareness.org/2016/08/11/utilities-intimidate-customers-on-smart-meter-refusals/
Letters:
From a fellow resister in Massachusetts who belongs to one of the many groups with which we are in contact on a daily basis.
From: Patricia Burke
Sent: August 10, 2016
To: Sharon Noble
Subject: Smart Meters: Fire and Health Updates
- Smart Meter Fires
On July 29, 2016, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Texas electrician whistleblower Bobby Reed should be reinstated with back pay after his unlawful firing for reporting smart meter fire risks:
“We … find that Reed’s senate testimony concerning smart meters and meter bases heating up and burning more frequently related to (and was spurred by) an ongoing and legitimate concern of the Union about the safety of represented bargaining unit employees working with the meters, particularly given the hazard of electrical arcs.”
“In line with their testimony, Longeway [*], [Oncor’s] expert witness, was aware that Itron had produced models in which the blades were too thin and did not seat with sufficient pressure in the jaws of the meter base.”
https://smartgridawareness.org/2015/06/30/nlrb-documents-smart-meter-fires/More Smart Meter Fire Info:
https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/fires/
http://emfsafetynetwork.org/smart-meters/smart-meter-fires-and-explosions/Note: Opponents raising fire safety issues were ignored when National Grid installed Itron smart meters in Worcester.
National Grid has selected itron for its proposed MA smart meter roll-out:
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/national-grid-picks-itron-for-plan-to-deploy-up-to-1.3m-smart-meters-in-masLegitimate concerns about safety risks associated with wireless utility infrastructure have been repeatedly ignored.
2. Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity
Dr. William Rea of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine article:
History of Chemical Sensitivity and Diagnosis
describes a science-based protocol for evaluating patients for electromagnetic hypersensitivity.“These different tests can be performed under less polluted, environmentally controlled conditions to diagnose chemical and electrical sensitivity precisely. They take the guess work out of the diagnosis as they have now been performed in 30,000 patients seen at the EHC-D in the last 35 years. The pitfalls of ignoring the principles and facts developed,…can lead to errors in diagnosis and treatment.”
http://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/reveh.ahead-of-print/reveh-2015-0021/reveh-2015-0021.xml
EHS has been mischaracterized as a psychological issue, resulting in profound suffering and violations of basic human rights.Please consider asking the City of Worcester to retract its controversial and dismissive smart meter health report,
(http://haltmasmartmeters.org/worcester/worcester_city_council/ scroll to health report)
and to take action to address growing health damage by contacting these individuals:
health@worcesterma.gov
law@worcesterma.gov
council@worcesterma.gov
CityManager@worcesterma.gov
mayor@worcesterma.gov
Sample text: The proposed roll out of wireless smart meters will impact every MA resident. While the City may not have been aware of the risks associated with smart meters at the onset, now that the pilot has been conducted in Worcester with residents reporting harm, the City should revisit the issue of health impacts and play a part in calling for the application of the precautionary principle. Please address the issue of adverse health impacts associated with wireless utility infrastructure.
3. Letter to the Editor by Patricia Burke on ADA and EHS
Be on the right side of history,
with gratitude to Worcester Telegram and Gazette and Metrowest Daily News:
http://www.telegram.com/news/20160801/letter-city-could-lead-on-em-safety
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
“You will observe with concern how long a useful truth may be known, and exist, before it is generally received and acted on.”
~ Ben Franklin