Dept. of Energy to announce $3.4B in Smart Grid Grants Coming Today

"The Smart Grid Investment Grant program, is said to have received hundreds of applications for the less than 100 available grants. With the DOE promising to break up about 40 percent of the $3.4 billion into chunks of $20 million or less, it looks like some smaller utilities struggling to launch their first Smart Grid programs could finally get a leg up. This could be a mixed blessing, though. A lot of the larger utilities — Duke Energy, Dominion Resources and Baltimore Gas & Electric among them — have applied for the maximum allotment of $200 million, which could substantially shrink the number of them that actually get the money they need.

Since applications for the money were filed in early August, many utilities have been in a holding pattern, waiting to see what they get before rolling out massive smart metering campaigns or implementing an acquisition strategy for new technology. Still, many industry analysts say the stimulus funds have already benefited the Smart Grid space, even before making an appearance. A lot of Smart Grid related companies and startups like Trilliant, Control4, Echelon, Ambient and others have already seen a boost in business in anticipation of utilities receiving government funds. Regardless of who gets it, there’s about to be a lot more money floating around for these players."