There’s been much talk in the news lately about the impending nationwide "smart grid." What is it and how will it support our nation’s growing energy requirements?

Smart grid is a system that delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to save energy, reduce cost and increase reliability and transparency. Such a modernized electricity network is being promoted by many governments as a way of addressing energy independence, global warming and emergency resilience issues.

The primary goal of the smart grid is to enable the electricity network to optimize load on the fly to respond to the constancy of fluctuations in energy consumption demands.

Whether the changes occur due to the weather, supply issues or higher demand, the smart grid works seamlessly to make the necessary adjustments so that power is uninterrupted. To that end, it seeks to:

• Self-heal from power disturbance events
• Enable active participation by consumers in demand response
• Operate resiliently against physical and cyber attack
• Provide power quality for 21st century needs
• Accommodate all generation and storage options
• Enable new products, services, and markets
• Optimize assets and operating efficiently

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) solicited utilities and companies serving the energy sector to respond to a stimulus funding opportunity regarding Smart Grid technology. Idaho Power responded in August 2009 and was notified by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to participate in negotiations to secure the requested funds equaling $47 million. Until negotiations are complete, there will be no transfer of funds from the DOE to Idaho Power. For more information on the pending opportunity, visit our FAQs.

Get acquainted with smart grid technology. Read The Smart Grid: An Introduction to gain an understanding of the nature, challenges, opportunities and necessity of Smart Grid implementation.

To get “smart” about smart meters, check out information about our Meter Exchange Project.