Battelle will deploy the organization’s proprietary smart grid technology suite in two projects to demonstrate the benefits of smart grid technology to the public. The smart grid describes a new model of delivering electricity from suppliers to consumers using two-way digital technology to ensure the efficient alignment of energy resources with consumption on a real time basis – saving energy, reducing cost, and increasing transparency.
Total funding for both projects is $328m and as many as 2,000 jobs will be created in the Pacific Northwest and Columbus.
Battelle’s energy technology team will lead a group of Pacific Northwest utilities that includes the Bonneville Power Administration as well as energy providers, utilities, vendors, and research organizations. The $178m project will provide for integrated management of the existing electric power supply infrastructure via an array of smart grid technologies with 13 individual utilities serving some 60,000 metered customers in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. The study will test new combinations of devices, software, and analytical tools that enhance the power grid’s performance.
The company’s energy technology team is collaborating with American Electric Power, General Electric and several other companies on the Ohio gridSMART project. It will build upon the installation of advanced electricity meters at 110,000 homes in the greater Columbus area to implement consumer responsive real time energy management. The $150m project is designed to provide greater energy control to customers through enhanced usage information and improve electricity distribution efficiency and reliability.
Don McConnell, president of Battelle Energy Technology, said: “These initiatives are designed to demonstrate the many benefits of smart grid technology. It will increase the reliability of service, decrease downtime for consumers, and allow customers to gain better control of their monthly electric bills.
“Equally important, it will enable more reliable power and reduce the impact of weather-caused outages. Ultimately, a smart grid will reduce the impact on the environment because we’ll be using fewer resources – we can use the power we already have in a smarter, safer and more secure way.”
In Columbus, Battelle’s energy technology team will deliver a specifically tailored, integrated demand management solution.
