U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has selected Alstom's smart grid demonstration project as one of the five projects, among some 40 applications, for US$6 million federal funding aimed at optimizing the U.S. electric grid with smart grid technologies.

The Alstom Grid (formerly Areva T&D) demonstration project was designed to efficiently integrate distributed energy resources into the electric grid. Its objective is to help the Department of Energy reach its smart grid targets for 2030: a 20% reduction in the U.S. electricity peak demand; a 100% availability to serve critical loads at all times (and a complementary range of reliability services for other loads); a 40% improvement in system efficiency; and an increase to a 20% share of the U.S. electricity capacity coming from distributed and renewable energy sources (200 GW).

The demonstration project will leverage Alstom Grid's e-terra distribution Integrated Distribution Management System, significantly enhancing the distribution grid's reliability and efficiency while minimizing end-user outages. Alstom Grid will develop advanced models and analytical tools for integrating multiple types of distributed energy resources (wind, solar, electrical vehicles, energy storage) while monitoring information from several distributed interfaces (smart meters, advanced sensors and telecoms) across the distribution grid.

This project will be implemented with Alstom Grid's ecosystem of partners, including utilities, laboratories and universities such as Duke Energy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of Washington and University of Connecticut.

For more information, visit www.alstom.com/grid.