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The Department of Energy announced last week that 32 recipients interested in developing smart utility grids would receive $620 million in grants. The majority of DOE smart grid funding ($435 million) will be used to create regional utility demos in 21 states reaching 100 million customers. Regional utility demos intend to show the integration of grid communication, metering and charge control. The DOE is also providing $185 million to 16 recipients for energy storage projects designed to reserve power for periods of high demand. These projects are designed to show how utilities can expand into solar panels, wind turbines and other energy sources without worrying about power storage.
DOE funding for AEP Ohio, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Center for the Communication of Electric Technologies show diverse smart grid applications. AEP Ohio received $75 million from the DOE to test a smart grid network in Ohio with 13 different plug-in technologies including hybrids and battery rechargers. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will use $60 million from the DOE to fund smart grids with advanced security measures at area university campuses. The Center for the Commercialization of Electric Technologies will focus on the use of advanced monitoring systems for smart grids with its $13 million grant.
The Detroit Edison Company and the Pecan Street Project may be the most applicable projects to plug-in and all-electric vehicles. The DOE’s $4.9 million grant to Detroit Edison Company will purchase 20 A123 Community Energy Storage Systems specifically for use with electric vehicle batteries. The Pecan Street Project in Austin, Texas plans to use its $10 million grant on combining 75 commercial electric meters, 1,000 residential meters and EV charge points into a cohesive grid.
This recent announcement by the DOE is critical to green vehicle adoption even without considering the size of the grants. The department selected projects throughout the United States with recipients in oft-overlooked locations like New Mexico, North Carolina and New Hampshire. The focus on smart grid development is particularly important because grid use will skyrocket with plug-in and all-electric vehicle adoption. Communities from coast to coast will need dynamic utility grids to handle second-by-second issues including peak demand periods, power surges and charge point shutdowns. As these funds trickle to smart grid projects nationwide, we can only hope that automakers meet consumer demand for EVs with greater urgency in the next decade.
