Statement & Audience

The statement I was trying to address in the digital story was the benefits of switching to a
Smart Electrical Grid and how it really helps not only the customers but the environment as well. Some
people are hesitant on switching to a connected grid as they feel that it is not worth it or they are
scared of technology and not ready for the big jump into the future yet.

Working for a hydro distribution company during my co-op term, I heard stories about how
people were afraid to update their old analogue meters to the new digital meters as they where afraid
of RF Signals and radiation poisoning. Many people also used to jam the old analogue meters to stop
them from reading which caused people to scam the utility companies. I believe my story would work
for the targeted audience (People who fear technology and the impact smart cities or grids will have) by
clearly explaining how the system works. I feel that the people who fear technology are not familiar with
it and are miss informed and can be narrow minded as they cant see how the switch to a smart grid will
impact them. The atmosphere or feeling I was trying to portray in the digital story was a calm setting by
being mindful of the colours used as well as the background instrumental placed in the digital story.
Using the calm atmosphere of the digital story makes it easily approachable and not intimidating or
threatening as a calm environment helps people focus. There was not many big complex words that
would cause confusion to the audience as well.

Script

There are many benefits for cities to make the switch to a smarter city. Everybody benefits from a smart
city ranging from regular citizens to the city government, from the environment to local the economy.
Initially it might cost a large chunk of money to upgrade the equipment, but in the long run it is well
worth it.
 A smart city is when a city makes use of sensors to monitor data on important factors that can improve
quality of life, decrease environmental impact, and reduce operational costs. A major component of
smart cities is upgrading the current infrastructure in the electrical grid to a more connected grid that is
easily observed.

A smart grid is a two-way communication between the utility companies and customers that monitors
power delivery, operational state of the delivery system, and implements demand response measures
adjusting power delivered to individual customers. [Textbook quote page 342]

The smart grid works by implementing various sensors such as line monitors that can track the current
in various electrical lines and relay the information back to view trends as well as any outages or
problems with the lines. Analog meters have been replaced by digital meters that do not require the
electricity distribution companies to physically measure the electricity consumed by households. The
switch to digital meters also helps customers track the energy consumed at various times of the day as
well as how much energy generated through solar panels, hydro, wind turbines, and other sources of
clean energy.

With the use of smart grids, the customers are easily able to view how much power they are using and
can determine what is causing the energy to be consumed. The smart grid is able to connect the utility
companies with the customers and can help customers reduce their energy consumption. Many
electricity companies provide advice and tips to their customers on what they can do to lower their bills
and energy consumption. Many electricity companies offer coupons and incentives for switching to
energy efficient lightbulbs or adjustable thermostats that can be programmed by the owner to be
switched off when the household is expected to be empty such as when at work and are able to return
to a suitable temperature as you arrive home. The consumers of the electricity will also benefit as their
bills will decrease and make up for the upfront cost of the efficient equipment.

The customers are not the only thing that benefit from the transition to the smart grid. The
environmental impact is a large benefit to switching to a smart connected grid. As people are embracing
clean energy more than ever before, this causes people to want to build solar panels on their homes or
buildings to be more energy efficient. The more people that support clean energy generation, the less
pollution will be created as less electricity would be needed to be generated. The production of
electricity releases lots of nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere, as these biproducts
are released it causes the air quality to be very bad in those areas as the chemical compounds
contribute to smog and acid rain.

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