PSC Authorizes NYPA Smart Grid Project Filing
Northern NY News
Written by Contributor
Friday, 24 July 2009 13:39
GOVERNOR PATERSON APPLAUDS PSC APPROVAL OF SMART GRID PROJECTS
Core Component of Governor Paterson’s New Economy Plan Approved
New York Seeks $434 Million in Federal ARRA Funds to Create Energy Grid of the Future
Governor David A. Paterson today congratulated the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) for its decision to authorize six investor-owned utilities in New York to apply to the federal Department of Energy (DOE) to receive upwards of $434 million in federal stimulus funds as provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The funds being sought will be used primarily to support the creation of a smart electric grid in New York, one of the core proposals in Governor Paterson’s New Economy jobs plan.
“We are taking a collaborative approach to positioning New York as a leader in the New Economy. I am pleased that the PSC is moving forward quickly and decisively to capitalize on federal stimulus funding for smart grid technology,” said Governor Paterson. “Now is the time to take bold new steps to prepare New York to lead in the creation of a new economy based on knowledge, technology and innovation. I’m confident New York will receive its share of ARRA funding for these critically important economic development projects.”
The development of a smart grid system is just one of the dynamic economic development steps announced in June by Governor Paterson in his Bold Steps to the New Economy Jobs Plan. The plan capitalizes on ARRA funding to drive economic recovery in the fields of energy, environmental protection, technology and health care. The initiative ensured New York would capitalize on federal stimulus funding for smart grid technology, with minimal ratepayer impact.
The investor-owned utilities applying for federal stimulus funding for smart grid projects include Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.; Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc.; National Grid; New York State Electric and Gas Corporation; Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation; and Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation.
In addition to a host of proposed improvements designed to incorporate cutting-edge smart grid technology in the transmission and distribution electric grid, utilities will submit proposals to fund smart meter pilot projects in several cities and towns across New York, including Manhattan, Long Island City, Mt. Vernon, Yonkers, Syracuse, Poughkeepsie, Saratoga, Cooperstown, Saugerties, Horseheads, Canandaigua, Bloomfield and West Nyack. Smart grid meters, representing a component of the future electric grid, will potentially give consumers an unprecedented ability to control their individual energy usage and potentially save hundreds of dollars a year on energy bills.
The term smart grid refers to the application of various digital technologies to, among other things, modernize and automate transmission and distribution assets to anticipate and respond to system disturbances, enable greater use of variable energy sources, including renewable energy, and provide needed information and capability for customers to control their energy consumption effectively.
The New York utility projects being put forth for consideration to DOE, which include several other energy-related federal funding opportunities, are valued at $825 million in total. Because federal grants will only cover up to 50 percent of programs costs, utilities require ratepayer funding for the remaining portion.
The timing of the Commission’s action allows utilities to demonstrate in their DOE application a commitment to cover portions not covered by the federal grant. The expectation is that this commitment should place New York’s electric utilities in an advantageous position at DOE to secure a portion of the available competitive grants.
The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) also plan to submit several proposals in response to DOE’s programs for Smart Grid, including LIPA’s proposal to create the Smart Energy Corridor along the Route 110 Corridor announced in May. This project will demonstrate smart metering at approximately 250 residential and 250 commercial LIPA customers; distribution and substation automation; the integration of renewable, energy storage, and demand response; cybersecurity testing of smart grid devices; and training programs.
NYPA is submitting a proposal with the New York Independent System Operator to provide a high speed fiber-optic communication backbone to support future Smart Grid technologies that will enable better operation of the grid, ability to sense changes that could disrupt stability, and the ability to react to the knowledge in milliseconds by 'control' of smart devices.
Friday, July 24, 2009
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AMBIENT & CONSOLIDATED EDISON LAUNCH NEW R & D EFFORTS UNDERGROUND IN MANHATTAN
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ambientcorp.com/press_releases/archive/2007/PR_2007_0411_Con_Ed.pdf
Network Monitoring and Communications Platform to be Further Evaluated
New York, NY, April 11, 2007 - Ambient Corporation (OTCBB: ABTG), a
leader in Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) solutions, announced today that it
will install its second generation BPL equipment on the underground electric
system of Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc. (NYSE: ED).
Successful completion of the research and development demonstration would
allow Con Edison to further evaluate on a larger scale Ambient’s BPL System for
monitoring the underground distribution system.
Ambient’s BPL platform is designed to support many, if not all, of the sensoring,
monitoring and control applications that Con Edison may deploy to enhance its
distribution system. Some of the applications that can be supported by the
Ambient BPL system include aggregation of meter reading, peak load reductions
and demand side management, energy flow measurements, stray voltage
detection, and partial discharge detection.
The demonstration of Ambient’s partial discharge detection application, in
particular, may be a key component in proactively detecting impending failures in
cables or other distribution system components.
Ram Rao, Ambient’s Chief Technology Officer stated, “We are pleased to be
working with our long-time partner Con Edison on this R & D project. Con Edison
has stated their commitment to enhance their grid, and we anticipate that the
Ambient BPL system will be a key part of the solution that Con Edison is
developing to achieve their planned improvements. The Ambient BPL platform
has been developed to enable exactly these types of applications and solutions.”
Many of the utilities in the United States that are in the process of developing
plans for the next generation distribution systems have identified communications
capabilities as a key requirement. Ambient’s BPL system is an ideal solution to
meet this requirement as it operates over the same infrastructure that the utilities
own, operate, and maintain to deliver electricity.