This little tune sounds like a hymn for today’s discussion about the use of fossil fuels, but it’s more than 30 years old. The British punk-rock band Newton Neurotics released the song as their second single. It’s possible to see the song as a reaction to the second oil crisis of 1979 when the Iranian revolution and the Iran-Iraq war caused a stop of the oil production in both countries and oil prices went through the roof.  But it is still very much up to date. Have a look at the lyrics:

“What’s gonna happen when the buses don’t run / and what’s gonna happen when the winter comes / what are you / when the oil runs out?”
or
“Are you prepared for such a drastic change of life style / you say “yeah” I don’t believe you,look at your home / the things that you own, the job that you work in / they all could go.”

As more and more countries start to integrate renewable energy into the mix, the need for smart grids is also growing. What are smart grids? They’re a type of electricity network controlled by digital technology–and that network runs straight from a power plant right into your home. The idea is to make the flow of electricity more reliable and efficient AND be able to better integrate alternative energy sources, like wind power, solar energy, etc.

One of the most important parts of smart grids is actually the intelligence aspect. The technology allows energy consumers to actually track how much energy they use, and when. So that means, you can actually keep track of your own energy ‘behavior.’ It sounds a bit confusing, but you can read more about how smart grids work on the EU’s dedicated website.

There is one catch, though. Privacy protection advocates are worried that your energy information–how much electricity you use, when you use the most, etc.–might not be secure with smart grids. Basically, they believe smart grids could give big energy companies access to information about you that they can store and use for other purposes.

What do you think? Do you think privacy is a big concern when it comes to smart grids? Why?