LONDON – National Grid, Britain’s largest utility, said the U.S. Department of Energy is likely to make a decision by December on a $200 million funding request to pursue so-called smart-grid projects, Bloomberg News reported.
The London-based company is seeking to develop five pilot smart-grid projects, covering about 200,000 customers in New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, CEO Steve Holliday said in an interview at the Financial Times World Energy Council conference in London.
Smart-grid technologies help utilities improve the flow of power by carrying both electricity and data. The technology allows consumers to feed excess power into the grid and makes it possible for utilities to prepare for swings generated by the use of renewable energy. National Grid is also working with Ford Motor Co. to track the effect of plugging in hybrid vehicles.
The U.S. government will dole out $4 billion in grants to electric utilities and others involved in operating power lines to advance smart-grid technologies, Vice President Joe Biden said in April. •
