Thursday, September 8, 2011

Smart grid test site in Worcester lays plans for Mass. strategy

By James M. Connolly

A town meeting-style summit of 300 people in Worcester this month will help to shape a smart grid strategy for Massachusetts’ second largest city, but also will lay the groundwork of a smart grid serving 1.2 million electricity customers in 168 Massachusetts communities.

Giant utility National Grid is organizing the summit under the slogan Green Today, Growth Tomorrow, bringing together city officials, community groups, energy experts and common citizens at the DCU Center, Sept. 19 and 20. In addition to panel presentations, the summit will feature a moderated discussion designed to develop a smart grid strategy for the city.

That discussion, led by Case Western Reserve University professor David Cooperider, will identify the participants’ goals and expectations for a smart grid plan in Worcester, which would involve more than technologies such as smart meters. It will look at how businesses can utilize renewable energy, and how the infrastructure can be upgraded and updated over years.

That plan will then provide the basis for National Grid’s submission of a smart grid plan to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, which is required of all electric utilities under the state’s Green Communities Act.

Cheri Warren, vice president of asset management for National Grid in Waltham, said that what makes the Worcester initiative unique is the emphasis on “the customer side of the house.” She said National Grid chose to use the summit approach in Worcester in part because the city of about 180,000 people is already making good use of green technology. In addition, she said, “Worcester, statistically looks like the state as a whole. We are looking to get 300 people, so we should get the right mix.”

Warren noted that Worcester has a century-old infrastructure that, as it is replaced over time, can be made smarter.

Summit moderator Cooperider led a similar discussion within Wal-Mart when the retail company was crafting its own sustainability initiative.

National Grid had already filed one smart grid agenda with the DPU but withdrew it in February because of the continued evolution of new technologies and business partnerships. By withdrawing the earlier filing, National Grid was able to open new discussions with the DPU, rather than just responding to DPU questions on a pending case, Warren noted. That allows officials such as DPU chair Ann G. Berwick to participate in the planning process in Worcester.

Warren said National Grid will take the best ideas from the Worcester discussions and integrate them into the company’s filing with the DPU, due by the end of the year.

One of the participants in the panel discussions on the first day of the summit, Chris Noonan, senior program advisor for the Worcester-based Institute for Energy and Sustainability, said the summit “represents sort of a paradigm shift with the utilities.”

“Now they have an opportunity to showcase their significant offerings in terms of smart grid,” said Noonan. “It allows that customer utility/public interface and knowledge exchange. It gives people an opportunity to learn about smart grid technology and why it is so important to put that technology in place, allows Grid to demonstrate the added value and efficiency for it.”