LCEC has applied for Department of Energy (DOE) funding through the Smart Grid Funding Grant Program. Should LCEC receive funding, the DOE grant will support LCEC’s Generating New Possibilities (GNP) initiative to transform the existing electric infrastructure to a Smart Grid network. “We recognize that Smart Grid capabilities can reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, increase the reliability and resilience of the power grid, and serve to transition customers in our area to a more sustainable and secure energy future,” said Dennie Hamilton, LCEC chief executive officer. “Our efforts will not only result in a more reliable, durable, and sustainable power system but also contribute to the greater good of our region.”

The Smart Grid has many benefits for customers and the nation as a whole.  A smarter grid can benefit society by increasing power efficiency, reducing environmental impacts, sustaining the economy by providing reliability for homes and businesses and by keeping rates in check by reducing utilities’ capital and operating expenses.

Over the course of the next three years LCEC has plans to align its capital and operating investments that will build the foundation for the Smart Grid within the Southwest Florida service territory. The scope of the grant includes:

1. DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION: shift toward autonomous Smart Switches and implementation of a self-healing network;

2. FIBER BACKBONE: investment in high performance, secure communications backbone;

3. SERVICE ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE: (SOA) WITH BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT (BPM) to reduce costs and enhance service delivery by leveraging open standards and interoperability;

4. BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE: to make data more accessible to key decision-makers, stakeholders, operations and field engineers

5. CYBER SECURITY: to protect sensitive assets and infrastructure.

Historically, LCEC has been a leader among member-owned electric cooperatives in deploying technology to benefit customers. Our early development of Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and early adoption of an automated metering system that facilitates two-way communication are just a few examples. Once again LCEC strives to demonstrate the capacity to break new ground, offer a higher level of service to customers and meet its commitment to social responsibility.

Grant applications have been submitted and preliminary work is underway. The DOE will award $4.5 billion in Smart Grid grants nationwide as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. LCEC is hoping to receive up to $5 million for implementation of its plan.