Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project

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About the Project

This project will be a unique demonstration of unprecedented geographic breadth across five Pacific Northwest states-Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. It will involve more than 60,000 metered customers, and contain many key functions of the future smart grid, ultimately moving the nation closer to establishing a more efficient and effective electric grid.

Funding

Project participants represent a mix of public and private entities, and will fund half of the approximately $178 million cost of the stimulus project.

Objectives

The Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project will

• validate new smart grid technologies and business models
• provide two-way communication between distributed generation, storage, and demand assets and the existing grid infrastructure
• quantify smart grid costs and benefits
• advance standards for interoperability (the smooth, seamless integration of all elements of the electric system) and cyber security approaches.

Approach

A unique distributed communication, control and incentive system will be implemented, designed to bring the electric transmission system into the information age. A new combination of devices, software, and advanced analytical tools will give homeowners more information about their energy use and cost. Data will be collected to provide insights into energy consumers' behavior while testing new technologies. The project expands upon the region's experience in the 2006 DOE-funded Pacific Northwest GridWise™ Demonstration Project on the Olympic Peninsula, which successfully tested demand-response concepts and technologies.

By the Numbers

The project, led by Battelle, will:

• run five years and span five Pacific Northwest states (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming)
• involve 11 utilities in the five-state region, the Bonneville Power Administration, and multiple technology participants
• include direct participation from two universities—the University of Washington and Washington State University—with outreach to other academic centers
• involve more than 60,000 metered customers and will engage, using smart grid technologies, system electricity assets exceeding 112 megawatts
• cost approximately $178 million, half of which will be cost-shared by the project participants.

A project summary is available on the U.S. Department of Energy's smartgrid.gov

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