prepared and presented by Mieko A. Ozeki, Sustainability Projects Coordinator, at the Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium Conference on April 2, 2012 at Syracuse University.

1. treehugger.com
Plugging into the Smart Grid: How
College and Universities Can Get
Involved

2. Overview
I. Premise of Presentation
II. Electrical Transmission & Distribution 101
III. Smart Grid Primer
IV. A Smart Tale in the Green Mountain State
V. VT Higher Education Plugged In
VI. Challenges to Smart Grid Implementation
VII. Opportunities for Higher Ed to Lead the Way
VIII. Resources

4. What role can colleges
and universities play in smart
grid implementation?
What's Smart
on our campuses now?

5. Electrical Transmission and
Distribution 101
Source: http://eps-technology.blogspot.com/

6. Smart Grid Primer: 30000 ft. View
Source: http://www.smartgrid2030.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/SG-Nature.jpg

7. Smart Grid Primer: Conceptual View

8. Smart Meters, Data, & Communication
Systems
Metering energy consumption:
Analog to digital

9. A Smart Tale in the
Green Mountain State
eEnergy Vermont:
● $68.9 million Smart Grid Investment Grant from Department
of Energy via ARRA funds, a match fund of 50%. Overall
project value is $138 million.
Project Goals:
1. Deploy smart meters to over 90% of Vermont premises.
2. Pilot the use of in-home devices for communicating and
controlling consumer energy patterns.
3. Study dynamic rate structures enabled by smart meter
technology.
4. Deploy automated controls to the grid and substations.

10. Key Events
● 1956: Vermont Electric Power Company Inc. (VELCO)
created, "manages the safe, reliable, and cost effective
delivery of electric energy through Vermont's transmission
systems."
● 1970s: VT utilities one of the first in nation to allow AMIs
(early version of smart meters)
● 1986: Efficiency VT founded, first energy efficiency utility
company
● 2007-2008: CVPS develops business statement for AMIs
● 2009: ARRA funds released for eEnergy Vermont
● 2010: ARRA Telecom grant awarded to VTEL
Vermont-Sandia Partnership launched
● 2011: Burlington votes support smart grid bond.

12. eEnergy Vermont Participants

13. A Public-Private Collaboration
Collaboration of all eEnergy VT State parties
Participants: ● VT Department of Public Service
One Vermont Application ● VT Congressional Delegation
Includes: ● VT Chief Technology Officer
● 19 electric utilities: ● VT Telecommunications Authority
● 1 statewide transmission
company (VELCO) Higher Ed institutions:
● 2 medium-sized investor ● Norwich University--> Cyber
owned utilities (CVPS & security
GMP) ● University of Vermont --> Research
● 1 medium-sized municipal ● Vermont Law School --> Policy
utilities
● Group of 13 municipal
Components:
electric utilities
● 2 Cooperative utilities ● Implementation
● Efficiency Vermont ● Outreach
● Research

14. Smart Grid implementation will enable energy consumers to participate.
Source: eEnergy Vermont

15. VT Higher Education Plugged In
I. Education: Short courses for utility operators,
researchers, government officials, business owners,
students, and others. Sample of short courses taught
in Summer 2011:
○ "Renewable Energy Integration Course"
○ "Smart Grid Policy: Pathways for Improving the Global
Environment"
○ "Cybersecurity of the Smart Grid: Overview of
Challenges, Implications, and Latest Mitigation
Strategies"
II. Consumer Outreach & Education
III. Research & Development
● Complex systems
● Consumer response
● Policy and governance
● Smart grid deployment

17. Challenges to Smart Grid
Implementation: Public Perception

18. Opportunities for Higher Ed and Businesses
to Lead the Way with Smart Grid
What are we doing now: What could we do for the future:
● On-Campus energy generation
(i.e. solar, wind, biomass, etc.)
● Be a testbed of innovation
● Energy efficiency & conservation ○ Consumer dashboards
measures.
● Research on energy storage. ○ Campus as a microgrid
● Demand Response
● Etc.
○ Smart apps
● Research beyond science:
○ Policy
○ Economic incentives and
modeling.
○ Behavior Change
○ Complex systems
Source: EnerNOC
● Preparing future generations for

19. Resources
● Department of Energy, Office Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability: http:
//energy.gov/oe/technology-development/smart-grid
● Smart Power: Climate Change, the Smart Grid, and the Future of Electric
Utilities by Peter Fox-Penner (Island Press, 2010)
○ http://www.smartpowerbook.com/
● Vermont-Sandia Partnership: http://www.uvm.edu/~vtsandia/
Date: October 1-3, 2012
Location: Westin Hotel in Boston

20. Thank you
Mieko A. Ozeki
Sustainability Projects Coordinator
University of Vermont
mozeki@uvm.edu