The White House is planning to spend nearly $4 billion on smart grid technology, Vice President Joe Biden announced Thursday. During a visit to Jefferson City, Missouri Biden continued the Obama administration's distribution of the $787 billion in economic stimulus funds.
"We need an upgraded electrical grid to take full advantage of the vast renewable resources in this country - to take the wind from the Midwest and the sun from the Southwest and power areas across the country," Biden said in a statement. "By investing in updating the grid now, we will lower utility bills for American families and businesses, lessen our dependence on foreign oil and create good jobs that will drive our economic recovery - a strong return on our investment."
A smart grid is a system that delivers electricity using digital technology, rather than on a constant basis. This allows machines to rest when not in use, saving energy, cutting costs, and even increasing reliability. The grid is thought to potentially prevent some of the rolling blackouts which have affected major metropolitan areas in recent years.
Joined by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Biden announced that the Department of Energy will be in charge of developing a new electrical grid using green technology. The White House is planning to deliver $3.3 billion in smart grid technology grants, with an additional $615 million used for storage, monitoring, and technological viability.
Earlier in the day Biden joined President Barack Obama to unveil a $13 billion plan for a high-speed railway system, naming regional finalists for the advanced transportation system. Obama noted that while Americans still like their cars, improved public transportation could allow the country to catch up with other nations, like Japan, who already use the technology.
"High-speed rail is long-overdue, and this plan lets American travelers know that they are not doomed to a future of long lines at the airports or jammed cars on the highways," Obama said.
The smart grid technology discussed in Missouri Thursday will be the topic of an event in Washington, D.C. in May Locke announced. The D.C. gathering will allow leaders in the smart grid industry to develop standards for the development of such a system.
"A smart electricity grid will revolutionize the way we use energy, but we need standards in place to ensure that all this new technology is compatible and operating at the highest cybersecurity standards to protect the smart grid from hackers and natural disasters," Locke said in a statement. "The Recovery Act will fund the development of those standards so the exciting technology can finally take off."
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu's department will also be responsible for helping promote and develop the smart grid technology.
"A modernized electrical grid will provide the necessary tools for system operators to analyze and resolve problems quickly," Chu said. "It will also expedite how we deliver renewable power to consumers, thus reducing the environmental impacts of generating electricity."
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