A recent paper by consultant Scott Madden defined grid modernization as innovation that makes the power system “more resilient, responsive, and interactive.”
Defining and deploying grid modernization is becoming pivotal for policymakers. In Q3 2017, there were 184 proposed, pending or enacted legislative or regulatory gird modernization efforts in 33 states and D.C., according to the most recent NC Clean Energy Technology Center (CETC) update. They cover smart grid, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), utility business model and rate reforms, and ways to expand distributed energy resource (DER) access.
Support for grid modernization is bipartisan. It was made a national priority by the Bush administration’s Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, according to GridWise Alliance Executive Director Steve Hauser. Much of today’s deployed AMI, the foundational grid modernization technology, was funded through the Obama administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2000.
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