Smart-Grid Stimulus

The American Recovery and Restructuring Act (ARRA, or the Recovery Act), signed into law in February, provides $4.5 billion in stimulus funding for programs aimed at "electricity delivery and energy reliability activities to modernize the electric grid." Many utilities are scrambling to de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public Utilities Fortnightly 2009-06, Vol.147 (6), p.12
Main Author: Trump, Andrew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009-US
Collaboration
Cybersecurity
Electric utilities
Electricity
Energy industry
Energy storage
Federal funding
Funding
Grants
Interoperability
R&D
Research & development
Smart grid technology
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Summary:The American Recovery and Restructuring Act (ARRA, or the Recovery Act), signed into law in February, provides $4.5 billion in stimulus funding for programs aimed at "electricity delivery and energy reliability activities to modernize the electric grid." Many utilities are scrambling to define how their smart-grid projects might qualify for smart-grid demonstration or matching grant funding. The Department of Energy (DOE) published guidance in mid-April for prospective grantees, but a great deal of uncertainty remains about how to develop a meaningful funding opportunity, how to decipher the pros and cons of submitting an application early, and how to reconcile utility smart-grid funding plans with existing utility initiatives. The additional challenge in prioritizing smart-grid research, development and commercialization grants is to reconcile how these grants meet Recovery Act requirements around creating employment stimulating economic activity otherwise getting money spent quickly, buying American products, and ensuring that the grant dollars are non-duplicative.
ISSN:1078-5892
1945-2578