Electric Co-op Today

Electric co-ops are poised to maintain their utility industry leadership in the deployment of smart meters, as they move to finalize smart grid investment grants awarded by the Department of Energy.

Co-ops are poised to maintain utility industry leadership in the deployment of smart meters under the federal smart grid program. (Photo By: D4Fish)

Much of this funding—a total of some $3.4 billion in stimulus-based matching grants for technologies that promote the transition to a more efficient and reliable electric system—will be used for advanced metering efforts.

This is an important step, as it will allow co-ops to drive their costs down and improve the quality of service to their consumer-members. It will allow co-ops and consumer-members to access more data about how and when the latter use power, fueling programs that can increase energy efficiency and reduce the cost of service.

More than 50 co-ops and public power districts in more than a dozen states submitted successful grant applications, individually or jointly, and will receive some $215 million for 21 projects.

In announcing the signing of a contract with DOE for an investment grant award, PNGC Power termed its project “a unique opportunity … for our members to enhance operations and reduce costs.”

The Portland, Ore.-based G&T said that under the five-year, $39.1-million initiative—half from the grant and half in matching funds—12 of its distribution co-ops in seven western states will install more than 97,000 smart meters and other equipment to benefit consumer-members through improved billing and accounting efficiency.

“By making a real investment in local infrastructure, our members anticipate the result to be more efficient and integrated operations, which will help position them for future success,” said John Prescott, PNGC Power president and CEO.

This future includes near-real-time consumer-member access to electric usage information, eventually enabling them to take advantage of lower-price periods, said Alan Guggenheim, member services director for Redmond, Ore.-based Central Electric Co-op, one of PNGC Power’s distribution co-op members.

The additional information will enable members “to make better energy consumption choices,” Guggenheim added.

Tags: Smart Grid