Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, Jr. and Xcel Energy have announced several milestones in the build-out of SmartGridCity in Boulder, Colorado, and unveiled the SmartGridCity Experience, a new educational tool designed to allow customers to see what the project is all about.

Xcel Energy and its technology partners are making significant progress in SmartGridCity. The first meters are active and two-way communication between the customer and the utility is a reality. Xcel Energy has installed 82 miles (152 km) of fiber-optic cable to enable the two-way communication. By the end of 2008, Xcel Energy will have more than 13,000 homes enabled with smart meters, and by mid-2009, another 10,000 meters will be available for installation at the customers' request.

In addition, two substations in Boulder have been upgraded with smart technology. Now, the substations can automatically detect, isolate and restore electricity load when an outage occurs. This information will allow the utility to reduce the impact of outages by using predictive technologies to prevent outages from occurring and isolation technologies to reduce the duration of the outage event. By mid-2009, three additional substations in Boulder will be upgraded with Smart Grid-enabled technologies.

The SmartGridCity Experience is the first exhibit to display the components of a fully integrated Smart Grid. Smart Grid Consortium partners — Accenture, Current Group, GridPoint, OSI Soft, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and Ventyx — have provided their technologies for visitors to explore. The SmartGridCity is also benefiting from active engagement from a variety of industry partners and the IBEW.

A demonstration home will soon be displayed with many of the technologies that are being implemented in Boulder on a wider scale.