A $20.8 million, eight-year plan for creating a "smart grid" electrical system in Richland was laid out for the city council at a meeting Tuesday.
Energy Services Director Ray Sieler said a smart grid would allow Richland's Energy Services department to distribute power more efficiently and reliably, and beef up the availability of broadband communications in the city.
The plan includes installation of "smart" meters at all 24,500 homes and businesses in Richland, about 60 miles of fiber-optic cable throughout the city, and other hardware, software and communications infrastructure.
The smart grid would be created in phases, with the first section being completed in north Richland where companies such as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory could reap the benefits, according to the plan.
The smart grid concept is intended to transform the power grid with new technology to reduce the cost of using and delivering electricity, integrate renewable energy such as wind and solar power, give consumers more control over their energy use and improve the efficiency of the entire grid system.
The system could be used to curtail energy consumption during periods of peak use. Combined with real-time pricing, it would enable consumers to use less energy as costs go up.
The system could communicate with appliances in homes to schedule tasks such as pumping water or thawing an ice box at times of less demand on the system.
The city had hoped to receive about $10 million in stimulus money from $3.3 billion set aside for Department of Energy smart grid technology development grants, but learned Tuesday that its application didn't make the list.
Similar stories:
Columbia Generating Station may start up Saturday
Columbia Generating Station may start up Saturday
Energy Northwest has begun to power up its nuclear power plant near Richland at the end of the longest outage in its history.
The reactor went critical Monday and if work goes well, the reactor could be supplying power to the electrical grid Saturday.
A few days after that, the plant could be operating at full power, said Brad Sawatzke, the plant's chief nuclear officer, after an Energy Northwest board committee meeting Wednesday.
NW study of storing compressed air underground
NW study of storing compressed air underground
Think of it as a giant energy bank. Withdraw when you need it; deposit when you don't.
Will our plugged-in planet have a green or black future?
Will our plugged-in planet have a green or black future?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Chances are the Internet has changed something about your life. How you shop. How you stay in touch with school buddies or look for a job.
INCREASE: Richland council to discuss power rates tonight
INCREASE: Richland council to discuss power rates tonight
The Richland City Council tonight will talk about how to handle future rate increases needed to meet the cost of service.
On the recommendation of Bob Hammond, the city’s Energy Services director, the council on Jan. 4 gave preliminary approval to raising user rates for the city’s electric utility by 5 percent for residential customers and 10 percent for all others.
That would amount to a $5 increase on a $100 residential bill or a $10 increase on a $100 bill for all other customers.
Richland to discuss power rates tonight
Richland to discuss power rates tonight
The Richland City Council tonight will talk about how to handle future rate increases needed to meet the cost of service.
On the recommendation of Bob Hammond, the city's Energy Services director, the council Jan. 4 gave approval to raising user rates for the city's electric utility by 5 percent for residential customers and 10 percent for all others.
That would amount to a $5 increase on a $100 residential bill or a $10 increase on a $100 bill for all other customers.
Print
Email Story
