NEW PROJECTS REFLECT BATTELLE ROLE IN SMART GRID FUTURE

Key Innovative Smart Grid Projects to Chart the Course to the Electric Systems of the Future

 

Columbus, OH - Battelle’s energy technology commercial solutions business announced today that it is working with 14 of the nation’s leading electric utilities and power systems suppliers to demonstrate the increased efficiency and reliability of electric power distribution through the application of intelligent systems to the power grid. 


Battelle’s energy technology experts will deploy the organization’s proprietary smart grid technology suite in two projects to demonstrate the benefits of smart grid technology to the public.  The smart grid describes a new model of delivering electricity from suppliers to consumers using two-way digital technology to insure the efficient alignment of energy resources with consumption on a real time basis—saving energy, reducing cost, and increasing reliability and transparency.

The demonstrations will have an impact not only on utilities, their customers and America’s electrical grid, but the economy.  The total funding for both projects is $328 million and as many as 2,000 jobs will be created in the Pacific Northwest and Columbus.

  • Battelle’s energy technology team will lead a group of Pacific Northwest utilities that includes the Bonneville Power Administration as well as energy providers, utilities, vendors, and research organizations.  The $178 million project will provide for integrated management of the existing electric power supply infrastructure via an array of smart grid technologies with 13 individual utilities serving some 60,000 metered customers in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.  The study will test new combinations of devices, software, and advanced analytical tools that enhance the power grid’s reliability and performance.  At its peak, the project could create about 1,500 jobs in manufacturing, installation, and operation of smart grid equipment, telecommunications networks, software, and controls.  

  • Battelle’s energy technology team is collaborating with American Electric Power, General Electric and several other companies on the Ohio gridSMARTSM project.  It will build upon the installation of advanced electricity meters at 110,000 homes in the greater Columbus area to implement consumer responsive real time energy management.  The $150 million project is designed to provide greater energy control to customers through enhanced usage information and improve electricity distribution efficiency and reliability. The project will cut energy consumption and emissions, while at the same time creating at least 500 jobs over a three-year period.  

“These initiatives are designed to demonstrate the many benefits of smart grid technology,” said Don McConnell, President of Battelle Energy Technology.  “It will increase the reliability of service, decrease downtime for consumers, and allow customers to gain better control of their monthly electric bills.  Equally important, it will enable more reliable power and reduce the impact of weather-caused outages.  Ultimately, a smart grid will reduce the impact on the environment because we’ll be using fewer resources—we can use the power we already have in a smarter, safer and more secure way.”

 

In Columbus, Battelle’s energy technology team will deliver a specifically tailored, integrated demand management solution.  Battelle’s solution is reliable and scalable to all of AEP-Ohio’s operating territory and other AEP distribution companies in the region, making Battelle’s solution a forerunner to the delivery of such solutions to the electric utility marketplace.


Battelle’s energy technology business translates Battelle’s basic and applied energy R&D base into innovative commercial solutions, products, and services.  Including the operations of national laboratories, Battelle oversees nearly $900 million annually in energy-related research contributing to advances in climate change solutions, bio-energy, fuel cells, nuclear power, and electric power infrastructure.

 

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 20,400 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide, including seven national laboratories which Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and two international laboratories—a nuclear energy lab in the United Kingdom and a renewable energy lab in Malaysia.

 

As the world’s leading, independent research and development organization, Battelle provides innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing needs through its four global businesses:  Laboratory Management, National Security, Energy Technology, and Health and Life Sciences.  It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $5.2 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization.  Battelle also is one of the nation’s leading charitable trusts focusing on societal and economic impact and actively supporting and promoting science and math education.

 

Media contacts:  
 

Katy Delaney at (614) 424-7208, delaneyk@battelle.org
T.R. Massey at (614) 424-5544, masseytr@battelle.org