TMCnet News
Fort Collins Recognized for Smart Grid Technology Efforts(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) FORT COLLINS, Colo., May 27 -- The city of Fort Collins issued the following news release: U.S. News and World Report just released their Top 10 Cities Adopting Smart Grid Technology. Fort Collins joins other cities such as Austin, Texas, Tempe, Arizona and Sacramento, California as communities looking to the future and investing in modern technology to address increased energy demands. The article features communities where the "smart grid of tomorrow is a reality today." The Fort Collins listing highlights FortZED and the $11 million in federal, state, and local funding dedicated to jump-starting the initiative. Fort Collins Utilities has been a leader in electrical generation and conservation for decades. The municipally owned Utility has a commitment to ongoing utility modernization; smart grid technology is another step towards that modernization. Colorado State University's InteGrid Lab, Spirae, a Fort Collins-based smart grid consulting and solutions company and Fort Collins Utilities continue to partner on smart grid advancements and workforce development, to prepare for the future of energy generation and distribution. Read the full list of cities adopting smart grid technologies at U.S. News and World Report's website: http://www.usnews.com/news/energy/slideshows/10-cities-adopting-smart-grid-technology or http://bit.ly/d4Klc8 Automated Metering Infrastructure in 2012/2013 In the next few years, Fort Collins Utilities' residential and small commercial customers will be able to monitor their own energy use and make informed decisions on energy consumption. Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI), also known as, advanced meters or smart meters, will eliminate the need for on-site meter reading, will use information and technology to maintain high system reliability and make utility operations more cost-effective. Reducing on site meter reading will remove the need for 22 vehicles traveling a total of 198,000 miles per year resulting in an annual local CO2 emissions reduction of 66.9 metric tons. Over time, more customer benefits will emerge including increased billing flexibility and options for customers to manage their use. The Utility will have more capabilities to provide even better customer service. Additionally this technology will prepare the utility and the community for emerging technologies such as mass integration of Electric Vehicles and the growing use of renewable home energy systems such as Photovoltaic solar systems. FortZED Jumpstart After two years of research, construction, and testing, the Renewable and Distributed Systems Integration (RDSI) project - also known as the FortZED "jumpstart" - is up and running in its demonstration year with project resources throughout the FortZED district, from Downtown Fort Collins to the Colorado State University (CSU) campus. FortZED is a community initiative with the long-term goal to transform Downtown Fort Collins and the main CSU campus into a net zero energy district, a place where we use less energy as well as produce and manage our energy more efficiently. Energy resources supporting the RDSI project include plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), demand response applications, solar panels and traditional generators to test how our existing electric system accepts and distributes energy from multiple locations. RDSI also experiments with conservation techniques to observe and document how effective various strategies are at reducing peak load on two main power lines. Our goal is to reduce peak load - or the moment of greatest electricity use - by a goal by 20-30 percent of the peak demand on the two circuits. Findings from this FortZED jumpstart project will help the City create the Utilities of the 21st Century and will significantly impact the future of renewable energy in Fort Collins, the state, and even the nation. This project is one of only nine smart grid demonstrations in the country to receive funding from the US Department of Energy. Findings from the RDSI project will help answer key questions: Can such smart grid strategies save money? What are the impacts on local air quality of various peak control measures? Learn more at www.FortZED.com Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Coming to Fort Collins Within the next four months, select businesses and the general public will have access to the area's first electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. A unique partnership between Fort Collins Utilities, Schneider Electric, Inc. and Fort Collins-based Spirae, Inc. will build an innovative Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (EVSE) system to support the community's electric vehicle market. The partnership will roll out the electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in phases. Initially, thirteen stations will be installed, with more planned in the future, including an expanded partnership with local car dealerships who sell EVs. Fort Collins businesses and residents have a history of being on the leading- edge of new energies and adoption of energy conservation practices. Providing businesses and residents new technology to support their choice of energy-efficient vehicles is another way the City encourages this shift. TNS C 71NayakRashmita 110528-MJ88-3411876 StaffFurigay (c) 2011 Targeted News Service |