July 28, 2010 | Greentech Media
As smart grid initiatives advance in the U.S., key states are emerging as policy leaders. Bolstered by US$4.5 billion in federal smart-grid stimulus funding, these states are laying the groundwork for market development and shining light on the economic, technological and regulatory issues associated with smart grid’s nascent integration.
GTM Research's latest report, United States Smart Grid Policy 2010: In-Depth Analysis of Ten Key States Driving Deployment, has identified 10 states that, in addition to leading in stimulus funding, are diversified in terms of their smart grid policy prescriptions and geography: California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. Within these states are projects planned or underway by 43 grid-operating entities. Their scope ranges from multimillion-meter projects in Texas to Western Massachusetts Electric's pilot program to install 1,750 advanced meters. With such variation from one state to the next, these 10 markets can be viewed as smart-grid "case studies" for more specific, large-scale approaches in the future.
"These 10 states are the laboratories for U.S. smart-grid policy, and their influence on the pace and scope of deployment is durable and growing," said Stephen Munro, the report's author and a Washington-based energy policy analyst with GTM Research. "Smart grid technology players will look to current state regulations for near-term activity as well as to anticipate how smart grid initiatives will adapt on a broader scale."
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