Smart Meters: Measuring, Monitoring, and Managing Electricity - Smart Grid (R) Evolution: Electric Power Struggles - page 120

One interesting example of a smart grid pilot program is National Grid's “Smart Energy
Solutions” pilot project in the city of Worcester, in Central Massachusetts. This program is
unique in that it focuses on a mixed socioeconomic population; 15,000 smart meters have
been deployed throughout the postindustrial city of Worcester. This project was originally
developed in response to Massachusetts legislation, the Green Communities Act, which
required each major electricity distribution company operating in the state to coordinate a
smart grid pilot program to support the state's grid-modernization efforts. National Grid is
an international company that delivers electricity in Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode
Island; owns more than 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity production; and is the
largest distributor of natural gas in the Northeast region of the United States (Worcester
2012 ) . One of the primary objectives of Massachusetts' requirement was that the smart grid
pilot programs demonstrate advanced smart meters, time-of-use pricing, and at least a 5
percent reduction in peak demand (MA DPU 2012 ) .
NationalGridselectedthecentralMassachusettscityofWorcester(populationestimated
at 181,000 in 2012) for its pilot project, and filed its original pilot program proposal
with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) in April 2009. Worcester
was selected for this pilot program for several reasons. First, the city has a diverse
population, which will help National Grid learn about smart meters and dynamic pricing
for a wide variety of customers. Second, National Grid's distribution network in Worcester
is representative of the overhead and underground distribution systems throughout the
company's service territory. Third, the city has a number of existing distributed generation
project sites and electric vehicle charging stations, which will allow the company to study
how these resources affect grid operating conditions; fourth, Worcester has several colleges
and universities, which will allow National Grid to offer students experience in the smart
grid and renewable energy industries (MA DPU 2012 ).
The state DPU conditionally approved elements of the pilot program in 2009 but
required National Grid to make amendments to its information technology systems; to
the marketing, education, and outreach plan; and to its plans for evaluation. In response,
National Grid coordinated with the city of Worcester to host a two-day community summit
to cultivate community buy-in and engagement, and the pilot was approved in 2011 (MA
DPU 2012 ). The Worcester project is designed to engage both residential and commercial
customers in a dynamic pricing program using smart meters and in-home energy
management technologies. The pilot also has “grid-facing” components to better manage
the distribution network, including the deployment of advanced distribution automation
and control, automated distribution system monitoring technologies, fault location devices,
and advanced capacitors within the pilot program area. National Grid has also partnered
with Clark University to obtain rent-free a Main Street storefront property in which