In 2010, the Battelle Memorial Institute, 11 electric utilities across five states (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming), six technology partners, two universities and BPA began testing smart grid technologies and approaches as part of the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project – the largest smart grid project of its kind in the nation with participation from 60,000 electric customer meters. The $178 million project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, BPA’s Technology Innovation Office, and public and private participants, emerged out of previous collaborations between BPA and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on the Olympic Peninsula’s GridWise Project, a year-long research project that explored price-responsive household technology, dynamic electricity pricing and consumer behavior.

 

The project supported the evaluation of 55 different technologies and used an innovative transactive control concept to deploy distribution level and household technologies. Via an interactive, market-based signal, the project increased energy consumption by project participants when wind energy was abundant, typically at night, and decreased their energy use during peak hours when energy prices were most expensive.

At the end of the five-year demonstration, which wrapped up in 2015, the project issued an 840-page technology performance report and a 32-page summary. The report concludes that smart meters, automated control of power distribution and other intelligent energy technologies can improve energy efficiency and possibly reduce power costs. However, more research and development are needed to support utility-led smart grid deployment.

“The demo project has laid the groundwork for a more reliable, efficient and sustainable power grid in the Northwest,” says Terry Oliver, BPA’s chief technology innovation officer. “We now have more insight into smart-grid technologies that could provide value to the region.” 

The region’s electricity system has grown substantially through the decades. But today organizations, including BPA are employing new generation of interactive technology  to enhance the grid and solve growing energy industry challenges. 

The Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project is testing ways these tools can be used in the region. The project, which is being overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy began in 2010. Participants are performing unprecedented testing to identify elements that could be part of a future smart grid. The five-year project— the largest in the nation—spans five states and enlists participation of 60,000 meters. Participants include the Bonneville Power Administration, Battelle Memorial Institute, 11 distribution utilities, five technology partners and two universities.   

Private and public participants  will fund half of the approximately $178 million cost of the project, which includes funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. BPA is contributing $10 million.

As part of this project, BPA is sponsoring the development of a Smart Grid Regional Business Case to identify the highest sources of potential value for BPA and its customers and regional utilities.  Interim results identify attractive opportunities and key uncertainties. The study is the first assessment to account for the interactions of various technologies and to quantify the uncertainties and risk of regional smart grid investments.

The study is being developed with input from a number of regional entities including the Northwest Power and Conservation Council and the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project. The RBC also incorporates input from regional stakeholders including distribution utilities in the region and findings from smart grid studies nationwide.​