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Smart Grids

President Obama wants to boost energy efficiency by building 3,000 miles of new power transmission lines. Obama also calls for $11 billion dollars in spending to update the nation's electricity grid as part of the economic recovery plan making its way through congress. As Dana Bate reports, new technology is showing some promise to make electricity cheaper and more efficient.



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External Links/Articles*

• Edison Electric Institute (EEI)
  EEI is an association of shareholder owned electric companies. The web site includes information on issues related to electricity generation, transmission, distribution and efficiency.
• Grid 2030 Vision (PDF)
  This links to a Department of Energy paper that calls for the construction of a “smart grid” for the 21st century.
• GridPoint
  GridPoint is a "leading clean tech company, is the pioneer of innovative smart grid platform that empowers utilities to optimize electrical grid management, achieve business objectives, increase grid reliability, promote environmental stewardship and fuel the adoption of renewable energy sources." GridPoint is on of the companies featured in Bate's story.
• GridWise Alliance
  GridWise Alliance is a consortium of public and private stakeholders who are aligned around a shared visionof a "smart grid."
• Pepco
  Pepco is part of Pepco Holdings Inc, (PHI) and is "one of the largest energy delivery companies in the Mid-Atlantic region, serving about 1.9 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey." This links to their Blueprint for the Furture which describes the smart meters being tested by Pepco, another company featured in Bate's story.
• The Smart Grid: An Introduction (PDF)
  This links to a publication sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. It discusses the nature, challenges, opportunities and necessity of Smart Grid implementation.
• Rep. Jay Inslee
  Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Washington) is interviewed in Dana Bate's report. Inslee also sits on three energy committees in Congress.

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