The U.S. government is vigorously promoting Smart Grid programs, naming it a "historic challenge" in the global energy saving trend, according to a speech delivered by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke on Monday. "If a Smart Grid is built here in the United States, it can help reduce power demand by more than 20 percent," Locke said in his remarks at the 2010 GridWeek Conference in Washington. "If Smart Grids are rolled out around the world, the reduction in global energy demand and the corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions will be transformative." The annual conference brings together key leaders and stakeholders from the energy industry to explore the Smart Grid's impact on the economy, utility infrastructure, consumers and the environment.
The 2010 Conference focused on international Smart Grid policies, programs, collaborations and standards-harmonization efforts.It is widely considered that smart grid technologies can catalyze innovation and job creation all over the world. And the new technologies it spawns will change the way people use energy, increasing efficiency while reducing the reliance on foreign fossil fuels.
Over the past year, the Obama administration has taken steps to jumpstart America's smart grid capacity while also working to set global standards so that Smart Grids around the world can use interoperable technologies. These steps include 11 billion dollars in investments through the Recovery Act for Smart Grid technologies, transmission system expansion and upgrades, and other investments to modernize and enhance the electric transmission infrastructure.
Locke discussed increased global cooperation among industry and government leaders on Smart Grid standards and highlighted U.S. industry leadership in advancing the harmonization and deployment of these standards. He noted that the barriers to getting the Smart Grid up to scale are not primarily technical. "The challenge, now, is to update the regulations and the standards that govern the patchwork systems of power generation and distribution. If we can do this, we'll incentivize the rapid roll out of the smart grid, while protecting consumers and lowering energy demand. If we get this right, all of us have an almost unprecedented opportunity to -- in one stroke -- change how we use electricity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create new jobs in an emerging industry in developed and developing economies." Locke said.
