Federal SmartGrid Initiatives
Federal Smart Grid Initiatives highlights key government-sponsored programs and activities related to the development and modernization of the electric grid in the United States.
Increased grid intelligence is being implemented throughout the U.S. as part of smart grid deployments and grid modernization efforts. This increased intelligence has led to concerns regarding consumer data access and the privacy of consumer energy consumption data. Historically, utilities have taken very seriously the job of protecting customers’ privacy, and privacy and security protections will remain fundamental objectives. However, with the new technologies being deployed today, these fundamental protections warrant new attention. Consumers must feel secure that their data will be protected and treated responsibly. Therefore, it is important that stakeholders on all sides of the privacy debate work together to address concerns and coordinate activities.
On January 31, 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) hosted the Smart Grid Privacy Workshop to facilitate a dialog among key industry stakeholders. In addition, on February 23, 2012, the White House released the report, Consumer Data Privacy in a Networked World: A Framework for Protecting Privacy and Promoting Innovation in the Global Digital Economy (Privacy Blueprint). Outlined in the Privacy Blueprint is a multistakeholder process for developing legally enforceable voluntary codes of conduct that, if adopted by businesses, would instill consumer confidence.
