October 27, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-07), a long-time supporter of transforming our country’s electrical system to make it more efficient, reliable, and sustainable, was pleased at the announcement today of the awarding of $3.4 billion in economic stimulus money to fund the development and implementation of state-of-the-art smart grid technology. Among four Pennsylvania companies to receive awards, it was announced today that PECO Energy Company will be receiving $200 million in funding to deploy smart meter technology to all 600,000 customers, upgrade communication infrastructure to support a smart meter network, install 7 "intelligent" substations, and accelerate deployment of more reliable and secure smart grid technologies that will reduce peak energy load and increase cost savings. Earlier this year, Congressman Sestak signed a letter supporting a successful submittal by PECO.
Congressman Sestak also applauded stimulus funding for other Pennsylvania recipients which will reduce Pennsylvania’s overall electric demand and bring cost savings to consumers. The Congressman strongly advocated for the stimulus bill which included resources for these purposes.
In Allentown, PPL Electric Utilities Corp. will receive $19,054,516 to deploy a distribution management system and smart grid technologies to monitor and control the grid in real-time, improve system reliability and energy resource optimization, and provide the infrastructure for distributed generation and broader energy efficiency efforts.
PJM Interconnection, LLC of Norristown will benefit from $13,698,091 to deploy over 90 phasor measurement units and other digital monitoring and analysis technologies across 10 states that will provide real-time data on the operating conditions of the transmission system, improving reliability and reducing congestion.
The Wellsboro Electric Company will receive $431,625 to implement the "Smart Choices" project, which will deploy smart meter network systems throughout the utility's service territory.
“This country has been stuck too long in ways of the old economy and that includes the energy sector,” said Congressman Sestak. “This country excels on its ability to innovate. And these investments help foster that innovation by modernizing our power grid from the generator, through the transmissions line, into the home, and right to the new generation of smart appliances this technology will spawn. Not only does this strengthen this country’s future, but it will generate tens of thousands of high quality, technical jobs and leverage more than $4.7 billion in private investment to match the federal investment.”
Smart Grid is a broad term for technological improvements to how power is delivered from the generation plant all the way to appliance. Such technology can improve reliability, reduce peak load, make it easier to integrate renewable power sources, and give greater flexibility to consumers.
Congressman Sestak is also a strong supporter of the House-passed green energy bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which included authorization and support for the long-term implementation of smart grid technology.
“Today’s announcement provides much needed immediate economic relief and moves us another step forward in modernizing our electrical system,” said Congressman Sestak. “What is needed now is swift action in the Senate on a green energy bill, so that we can best capitalize on this investment and foster the innovation we need.”
Born and raised in Delaware County, former 3-star Admiral Joe Sestak served in the Navy for 31 years and now serves as the Representative from the 7th District of Pennsylvania. He led a series of operational commands at sea, including Commander of an aircraft carrier battle group of 30 U.S. and allied ships with over 15,000 sailors and 100 aircraft that conducted operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. After 9/11, Joe was the first Director of “Deep Blue,” the Navy’s anti-terrorism unit that established strategic and operations policies for the “Global War on Terrorism.” He served as President Clinton’s Director for Defense Policy at the National Security Council in the White House, and holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. According to the office of the House Historian, Joe is the highest-ranking former military officer ever elected to the U.S. Congress.
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