Ohio Receives Recovery Act Funds For Smart Grid And Energy Storage Projects

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Alan Schriber today applauded two Ohio projects that were awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for Smart Grid demonstrations and energy storage projects.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the awards today, which are part of a nationwide $620 million package, at an event in Groveport, Ohio.

“This funding will help advance the goals of our energy reform plan, enacted in Senate Bill 221, which encourages the deployment of smart grid technologies so Ohio families and businesses have real-time information to manage their energy use,” Strickland said.   “Greater energy efficiency is an important tool to help drive down overall energy costs for consumers.  I appreciate the Obama Administration’s partnership with Ohio to advance these efforts.”

AEP-Ohio will utilize more than $75 million in ARRA funds to demonstrate a secure, interoperable and integrated Smart Grid Regional Demonstration Program. The three-and-a-half-year project will incorporate a suite of 13 technologies in different distribution combinations for more than 100,000 customers and create approximately 500 jobs.

“AEP-Ohio’s Smart Grid Regional Demonstration Program is on the leading edge of a national electric grid transformation,” Strickland said. “The ARRA funding will allow AEP-Ohio to demonstrate the benefits of advanced grid technologies to improve system reliability and create environmental benefits.”

AEP-Ohio estimates that its Smart Grid Regional Demonstration Program will improve system efficiency and reliability by up to 40 percent, while saving customers $5.75 million and reducing fossil fuel emissions by nearly 17,000 tons. The project is expected to lower peak demand by 15 megawatts and overall energy consumption by 18,000 megawatt hours.

“Ohio residents and businesses alike can benefit from using federal funds to improve the delivery and reliability of the electric grid,” PUCO Chairman Alan R. Schriber said. “The implementation of Smart Grid technologies in Ohio provides a foundation for additional job creation by firms that rely on digital technology and require a high level of reliability and power quality.”

The city of Painesville will use $3.74 million in ARRA funds to manage peak power supply and demand. The city’s utility, Painesville Municipal Power, will work in partnership with the Ohio Municipal Power Plant Authority and Ashlawn Energy to demonstrate vanadium redox battery storage at its 32 megawatt coal fired power plant in Painesville. The 1 megawatt battery will have eight hours of storage capability.

“This project will help ensure that residents and businesses in Painesville have access to a safe, secure and stable power supply,” Strickland said.

To date, Ohio companies have been awarded more than $250 million in ARRA funding for Smart Grid related projects. This funding will help advance the goals of Ohio’s recently enacted electricity law, Senate Bill 221. Ohio’s law encourages the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure in conjunction with the use of time differentiated pricing.

Topics: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, ARRA, clean energy, Department of Energy, economic development, economic growth, Economy, emissions, employment, energy, energy storage projects, environment, fossil fuels, Governance, jobs, Ohio, renewable energy, smart grid, Smart Grid Regional Demonstration Program, Smart Grid technologies, U.S., United States, vanadium redox battery storage

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