As more and more utilities start installing smart meters
around the country, more and more groups line up to protest
their use.
Bringing the controversy to the Midwest, a group of smart
meter opponents in Naperville, Illinois circulated a
petition to have a referendum placed on an upcoming ballot
that would allow residents to vote on whether the city
should install the meters, but it seems they got a lot of
signatures from people not registered to vote in Naperville
— 124 to be exact. When it was submitted to the electoral
board, it was rejected because of a lack of valid
signatures. The group hired a lawyer and took the issue to
court and last week Circuit Judge Bonnie Wheaton ruled that
the Naperville Smart Meter Awareness Group didn’t meet the
petition requirements and their request for a referendum was
denied.
Naperville is set to install smart meters on all homes and
businesses this year through its Smart Grid Initiative.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the Naperville group, like
others before them, cited security, privacy and health
concerns about the wireless meters. No health risks have
been found for the devices that put out small amounts of
radio frequency radiation when they transmit information
just like cell phones, microwaves and computers. Many people
are concerned about the cancer-causing potential of that
radiation, but studies sponsored by PG&E, the California
utility that has championed smart meters, have found that
people would have to live with a smart meter for more than a
thousand years to get the same amount of radio wave exposure
as cell phone users get in a month.
Utilities in Maine and California that have come up against
smart meter protesters have allowed customers to opt-out of
wireless smart meter installations if they want. While that
seems like a good compromise, it could affect the overall
effectiveness of the smart grid if there are gaps in
wireless smart meter coverage or a mixture of devices being
used in an area. The success of the smart grid depends on
being able to collect energy use information from all homes
and businesses both to help users save energy and to help
utilities to manage grid demand and respond to outages and
other issues. If many people choose to opt out of smart
meters, it could prevent the smart grid from being able to
reach its full potential.
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