The purpose of the New York State Smart Grid Consortium is to harness the combined resources of the state across the value chain to benefit customers
by promoting sustained economic development opportunities and improved performance of the electric power supply and delivery system through smart
grid technology development and implementation.
Building the smart grid in New York requires development and deployment of a Technical Smart Grid Plan that is mapped to a Strategic Smart Grid Vision.
Technical Smart Grid Plan
New York’s Technical Plan is “to create a fully visible, integrated “smart” electricity system.” As outlined below, the plan describes what the smart grid will deliver in clear terms along five key dimensions.
Consumer visibility to energy usage and cost. Consumers of all categories must have the ability to see the real-time costs of their energy choices.
Consumers empowered to save energy costs and participate in markets. Consumers must be able to act directly or indirectly on that usage and pricing information to make choices to save energy and money.
Utilities have enhanced visibility and control of distribution systems for reliability and economics. Utilities have the devices and communication systems in place to enable them to determine actual operational and economic conditions at any point, at any time.
Energy storage is used to improve economics and reliability. Storage devices are integrated into the grid, to enable the most cost-effective management of generation and usage.
Transmission system reliability and economics are enhanced with smart grid technologies. These are exploited to increase transmission utilization and support cost-effective renewables integration.
Strategic Smart Grid Vision
The New York State Strategic Smart Grid Vision represents a comprehensive, coordinated and collaborative approach to implement an efficient, effective, and secure electric power supply and delivery system that meets the energy needs
of all customers in the state. New York has three primary energy policy goals — sustainability, reliability and affordability. The state has a unique wealth of intellectual, industrial and institutional resources focused on the development of the smart grid. The purpose of the NYS Smart Grid Consortium is to harness these unique assets to address the state’s energy policy goals and achieve its Strategic Smart Grid Vision.
The smart grid will be built upon its three primary components, customer enablement, grid enhancements and diverse supply integration. The ongoing Consortium process will help focus effective implementation, resulting in enhanced economic development, higher levels of customer satisfaction, improved reliability, increased efficiency, better grid visibility and situational awareness, accurate pricing signals that reflect the true cost of service, the highest levels of security and a more timely incorporation of renewable energy.
