§ 17384. Smart grid technology research, development, and demonstration
(a)
Power grid digital information technology
The Secretary, in consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other appropriate agencies, electric utilities, the States, and other stakeholders, shall carry out a program—
(1)
to develop advanced techniques for measuring peak load reductions and energy-efficiency savings from smart metering, demand response, distributed generation, and electricity storage systems;
(2)
to investigate means for demand response, distributed generation, and storage to provide ancillary services;
(3)
to conduct research to advance the use of wide-area measurement and control networks, including data mining, visualization, advanced computing, and secure and dependable communications in a highly-distributed environment;
(4)
to test new reliability technologies, including those concerning communications network capabilities, in a grid control room environment against a representative set of local outage and wide area blackout scenarios;
(6)
to investigate the feasibility of a transition to time-of-use and real-time electricity pricing;
(b)
Smart grid regional demonstration initiative
(1)
In general
The Secretary shall establish a smart grid regional demonstration initiative (referred to in this subsection as the “Initiative”) composed of demonstration projects specifically focused on advanced technologies for use in power grid sensing, communications, analysis, and power flow control. The Secretary shall seek to leverage existing smart grid deployments.
(2)
Goals
The goals of the Initiative shall be—
(A)
to demonstrate the potential benefits of concentrated investments in advanced grid technologies on a regional grid;
(B)
to facilitate the commercial transition from the current power transmission and distribution system technologies to advanced technologies;
(C)
to facilitate the integration of advanced technologies in existing electric networks to improve system performance, power flow control, and reliability;
(3)
Demonstration projects
(A)
In general
In carrying out the initiative,[2] the Secretary shall provide financial support to smart grid demonstration projects in urban, suburban, tribal, and rural areas, including areas where electric system assets are controlled by nonprofit entities and areas where electric system assets are controlled by investor-owned utilities.
(B)
Cooperation
A demonstration project under subparagraph (A) shall be carried out in cooperation with the electric utility that owns the grid facilities in the electricity control area in which the demonstration project is carried out.
(C)
Federal share of cost of technology investments
The Secretary shall provide to an electric utility described in subparagraph (B) or to other parties financial assistance for use in paying an amount equal to not more than 50 percent of the cost of qualifying advanced grid technology investments made by the electric utility or other party to carry out a demonstration project.
(D)
Ineligibility for grants
No person or entity participating in any demonstration project conducted under this subsection shall be eligible for grants under section
17386 of this title for otherwise qualifying investments made as part of that demonstration project.
(E)
Availability of data
The Secretary shall establish and maintain a smart grid information clearinghouse in a timely manner which will make data from smart grid demonstration projects and other sources available to the public. As a condition of receiving financial assistance under this subsection, a utility or other participant in a smart grid demonstration project shall provide such information as the Secretary may require to become available through the smart grid information clearinghouse in the form and within the timeframes as directed by the Secretary. The Secretary shall assure that business proprietary information and individual customer information is not included in the information made available through the clearinghouse.
(c)
Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated—
[1] So in original. The period probably should be a semicolon.
[2] So in original. Probably should be “Initiative,”.