Municipal Utilities' Investment in Smart Grid Technologies Improves Services and Lower Costs
Sept. 30, 2014
U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
This report presents results from 3 of the 32 Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) projects implemented by municipal utilities to improve the performance of their electric systems, provide benefits to customers, and advance U.S. grid modernization. Project activities provided a number of benefits including improved operating efficiencies, lower costs, shorter outages, and reduced peak demands and electricity consumption. These included learning how to operate new technologies and systems optimally; educating utility personnel on new businesses processes and practices; reaching out to customers to explain how to use new technologies to reduce electricity consumption and lower bills; and implementing new systems in a dynamic environment of rapidly evolving standards and technologies.