The District of Columbia’s highly-acclaimed PowerCentsDC pilot program is featured in a new report that was released this week by the White House.
The report, entitled "A Policy Framework For The 21st Century Grid," cites the District’s initiatives on smart metering and smart pricing of electricity, according to a statement announcing its launch.
The report was prepared by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). Its release coincides with a June 13 meeting at the White House where several high-level administrators that included SGCC Director Patty Durand, private-sector leaders and other innovators who gathered from across the nation to learn of the new initiatives surrounding the collaborative. The initiatives include $250 million in loans for smart-grid technology deployment.
"A 21st-century grid is essential to America’s ability to lead the world in clean energy and win the future," John P.Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, was quoted as saying at the meeting. "By unlocking the potential of innovation in the electric grid, we are allowing consumers and businesses to use energy more efficiently even as we help utilities provide cleaner energy and more reliable service."
According to the statement, the District has taken a major step toward a smarter grid through its award-winning smart metering pilot, which enabled approximately 900 Pepco customers at all income levels to save money and better manage their energy use.
It goes on to state that, currently, Pepco is replacing 280,000 old-fashioned analog meters in the Nation’s Capital with two-way digital "smart meters," pursuant to 2009 legislation enacted by the D.C. Council, with full-scale deployment beginning in 2012.
"The District will be among the first jurisdictions in the country to make the benefits of smart grid technologies available to every consumer," Rick Morgan, D.C. public service commission said in the statement. He added that among the benefits of advanced metering, are operational savings such as reduced metering costs and the ability of consumers to control their utility bills and minimize environmental impacts.