Rocky Mountain Power has been named as a recipient of a $6.42 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to help develop a “connected community” in Utah. The money will be used to implement advanced grid solutions along with gathering data and conducting analysis that will help produce a long-term plan to build out a sustainable power grid for the energy needs of the next generation, the utility said in a release.
“This is about developing the ‘grid of the future.’ We want to keep costs down while integrating clean resources that reduce carbon emissions and allow for greater reliability and resiliency,” said James Campbell, director of innovation and sustainability for Rocky Mountain Power. “Since we’re enhancing the way we operate the grid while integrating renewables, we’re going to need solutions like this to make it happen. The end result is to keep the lights on and have the customers not notice.”
The project will establish a “connected community,” which will be a group of grid-interactive efficient buildings with diverse, flexible end-use equipment and other distributed energy resources that collectively work to maximize building, community and grid efficiency, while meeting occupants’ comfort and needs.
Giv Group, Utah Transit Authority, Utah State University, University of Utah and Packsize are among the project participants that are collaborating on the project. Over the next five years, energy and innovation experts will work to develop actionable recommendations to move electricity production into the decades ahead.