Overview of
Programs
Overview of Programs >

Smart Grid Investment Grant Program >

Smart Grid Demonstration Program >

Workforce Training for the Electric Power Sector Program >

Consumer Behavior Studies >

Standards, Interoperability, and Cybersecurity Activities >

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) provides the U.S. Department of Energy with $4.5 billion to modernize the electric power grid and implement Title XIII of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. This section provides descriptions and background information for several of the key smart grid programs, studies and activities funded by the Recovery Act.
Project
Information

Project Information >

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided funding for smart grid projects across the United States. The location, information and data for each project are provided in this section.
Deployment
Status
Deployment Status >

Program Asset Investments >

AMI & Customer Systems >

Electric Distribution System >

Electric Transmission System >

Project Specific Deployments >

Technology Deployment Analysis >

The U.S. Department of Energy is responsible for tracking investments made through the Smart Grid Investment Grant program (SGIG) and Smart Grid Demonstration program (SGDP). The status and characteristics of technology deployed is reported in this section.
Program
Impacts
Program Impacts >

Analytical Approach >

SGIG Program Impact Analysis >

SGDP Technology Performance Reports >

Case Studies >

The U.S. Department of Energy is analyzing the impacts of the Recovery Act smart grid projects on the electric system and assessing costs, benefits, lessons learned, and best practices. This analysis is an opportunity to inform decision makers about the relative merits of alternative smart grid technologies, tools, and techniques and provide a stronger empirical basis for investments and business cases.
Consumer
Behavior
Consumer Behavior >

Study Objectives >

Study Schedules >

Cross-Study Analysis >

Lessons Learned >

U.S. Department of Energy is working with several Smart Grid Investment Grant award recipients who are conducting special studies to examine acceptance, retention and response of consumers involved in time-based rate programs that include advanced metering infrastructure and customer systems such as in-home displays and programmable communicating thermostats. These studies are an opportunity to advance the electricity industry’s understanding of consumer behavior through the application of statistically rigorous experimental methods.
Recipient
Reporting

Recipient Reporting >

U.S. Department of Energy requires recipients of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to report quarterly data. Recipients access reporting databases and guidance documents in this section. Only recipients who have received a user name and password can access the databases.

Peak Demand and Electricity Consumption

The analysis covers all of the Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) projects that are deploying advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), direct load control programs, time-based rate programs, and consumer information and control technologies, such as in-home displays, web portals, and programmable communicating thermostats to affect the timing and magnitude of the consumption of electricity by customers. The key analysis question concerns how, and to what extent, do these devices and programs result in reductions and/or shifts in peak demand and reductions in overall levels of electricity consumption? Analysis objectives include:

Evaluating how smart meters, time-based rates, information and education offering such as web-based portals, and customer devices such as programmable controllable thermostats, in-home displays, and direct load control devices:
- Reduce the level peak demand;
- Shift peak demand to off-peak periods;
- Result in lower levels of overall electricity consumption.
Quantify how changes in electricity usage patterns and pricing affect customer electricity bills, fuel mixes for electricity generation, and power plant emissions.