42 USC 17384 - Smart grid technology research, development, and demonstration

U.S Code last checked for updates: Nov 26, 2024

§ 17384.

Smart grid technology research, development, and demonstration

(a)

Power grid digital information technology

The Secretary, in consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other appropriate agencies, electric utilities, the States, and other stakeholders, shall carry out a research, development, and demonstration program—

(1)

to develop advanced techniques for measuring peak load reductions and energy-efficiency savings from smart metering, demand response, distributed generation, and electricity storage systems;

(2)

to investigate means for demand response, distributed generation, and storage to provide ancillary services;

(3)

to conduct research to advance the use of wide-area measurement and control networks, including data mining, visualization, advanced computing, and secure and dependable communications in a highly-distributed environment;

(4)

to test new reliability technologies, including those concerning communications network capabilities, in a grid control room environment against a representative set of local outage and wide area blackout scenarios;

(5)

to identify communications network capacity needed to implement advanced technologies.1

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(6)

to investigate the feasibility of a transition to time-of-use and real-time electricity pricing;

(7)

to develop algorithms for use in electric transmission system software applications;

(8)

to promote the use of underutilized electricity generation capacity in any substitution of electricity for liquid fuels in the transportation system of the United States; and

(9)

in consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, to propose interconnection protocols to enable electric utilities to access electricity stored in vehicles to help meet peak demand loads.

(b)

Smart grid regional demonstration initiative

(1)

In general

(2)

Goals

The goals of the Initiative shall be—

(A)

to demonstrate the potential benefits of concentrated investments in advanced grid technologies on a regional grid;

(B)

to facilitate the commercial transition from the current power transmission and distribution system technologies to advanced technologies;

(C)

to facilitate the integration of advanced technologies in existing electric networks to improve system performance, power flow control, and reliability;

(D)

to demonstrate protocols and standards that allow for the measurement and validation of the energy savings and fossil fuel emission reductions associated with the installation and use of energy efficiency and demand response technologies and practices;

(E)

to investigate differences in each region and regulatory environment regarding best practices in implementing smart grid technologies; and

(F)

to encourage the commercial application of advanced distribution automation technologies that exert intelligent control over electrical grid functions at the distribution level to improve system resilience.

(3)

Demonstration projects

(A)

In general

(B)

Cooperation

(C)

Federal share of cost of technology investments

(D)

Ineligibility for grants

(E)

Availability of data

(F)

Open protocols and standards

(c)

Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated—

(1)

to carry out subsection (a), such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012; and

(2)

to carry out subsection (b), such sums as may be necessary.

(Pub. L. 110–140, title XIII, § 1304, Dec. 19, 2007, 121 Stat. 1786; Pub. L. 111–5, div. A, title IV, § 405(1)–(4), Feb. 17, 2009, 123 Stat. 143, 144; Pub. L. 116–260, div. Z, title VIII, § 8001, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2578.)

cite as: 42 USC 17384