Since 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the electricity industry have jointly invested over $7.9 billion in 99 cost-shared Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) projects involving more than 200 participating electric utilities and other organizations to modernize the electric grid, strengthen cybersecurity, improve interoperability, and collect an unprecedented level of data on smart grid operations. This second SGIG Progress Report describes program accomplishments since 2009, highlighting key updates from the first SGIG Progress Report published in July 2012.
The SGIG program is a cost-shared initiative that seeks to accelerate the transformation of the nation’s electric power grid through the deployment and use of smart grid technologies and systems. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) provided $3.4 billion in federal funding, and project recipients have invested an additional $4.5 billion in private funding, for a total budget of $7.9 billion.
These funds are helping to build a smarter and more modern electric grid that will be needed to accomplish our nation’s most important economic, energy, and environmental priorities. More intelligent electricity delivery systems use two-way communications and automated controls to provide essential capabilities to meet the needs of a growing digital economy, enable greater levels of clean energy development, and strengthen the electric grid to be more resilient to natural disasters and cyber-attacks. The SGIG program is demonstrating progress in each of these areas and is expected to encourage future investments by providing greater know-how for accomplishing grid modernization. (Smart Grid Investment Report...)
