Energy Department to award $3.3B for smart power grids - Business First of Louisville:

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billion in federal stimulud grants, of up to $200 million apiece, to companies and utilitie to help developa smarter, faster power grid. The firstf round of applications are dueJuly 29, with future roundss in December 2009 and Marc h 2010 if funding remains. But DOE’s plans for this stimulusz funding hikes the maximumj amount of individual grants from the previouslyproposef $20 million, a cap that many potentia l applicants said would not be enough to fund real changr toward a smart grid -- often describedd as a new automated network that could measure the amounts and peak timeas of a homeowner’s or business’ actual electricity detect outages and problems and electronically notifty utilities, and perhaps even store power during off-peak hoursd to be used during times of highee demand.
In all, the federa government had setaside $4.5 billion in stimulus fundw to help fashion a nationwide smartg grid. The , whichy received $220 million of its own stimulus fundxs towardthis effort, hopes to debut new national standardsd for smart grid products and technologies by the end of this Officials with Louisville-based believe smart grid technology will play a . The division of Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric Co. GE), has invested millions of dollaras in the development of a new line of appliances integrated with smart grid It also is workinb with utility companies across the United Statesz to develop smartgrid programs.