Obama Announces $3.4B In Smart Grid Technology

President Obama toured the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center this past week in Arcadia, Florida. With the nation’s largest photovoltaic array as his backdrop, Obama announced the US government’s massive investment into Smart Grid infrastructure under the Recovery Act. “We are making the largest-ever investment in a smarter, stronger, and more secure electric grid. This investment will come in the form of 100 grants totaling $3.4 billion- grants that will go to private companies, utilities, cities, and other partners who have applied with plans to install smart grid technologies in their area.”

The President emphasized the importance of smart meter technology and explained the concept in detail for families across America, “Smart meters will allow you to actually monitor how much energy your family is using by the month, by the week, by the day, or even by the hour. So coupled with other technologies, this is going to help you manage your electricity use and your budget at the same time, allowing you to conserve electricity during times when prices are highest, like hot summer days. Through these investments in a variety of smart grid technologies, utilities like Florida Power & Light will also be able to monitor the performance of its electricity grid in real time, which means they’ll be able to identify and correct service interruptions more quickly and effectively. And all this information will help increase renewable energy generation, provide support for plug-in electric vehicles, and reduce the carbon pollution that causes climate change.”

Obama summed up his momentous address with a balance of optimism and realism. “At this moment, there’s something big happening in America when it comes to creating a clean energy economy, but getting there will take a few more days like this one, and more projects like this one.”