Industry should help Illinois win gold

In March, consulting firm Global Smart Energy awarded Illinois a silver medal - behind gold medalists California and Texas - in its smart grid rankings that scored competitors on their status in the race to improve electrical infrastructure. The state was recognized for its collaborative approach to smart grid which "engages communities up and down and all across the state."

While a solid showing, if recent efforts by ComEd and the Illinois Institute of Technology are any indication, I feel Illinois can go for gold. ComEd installed the first wave of the more than 130,000 smart meters it plans to rollout to consumers and businesses to help them better manage electricity consumption and reduce costs. And, IIT is educating and training the future smart grid work force thanks to a $5 million federal stimulus grant that will cover 50,000 students over the next three years.

Smart grid gives consumers more choice and will help transmit energy more reliably. The sector that can make the most impact on smart grid is Industry, because it is the largest consumer of energy with the most room for efficiency improvement and has the best prospects for adding more electricity to the grid.

Industry could help relieve strains on the grid (e.g. reducing the frequency and duration of power failures) by shifting production when feasible to lower-priced off-peak times when energy is cheaper. They can also save money, help the environment and other non-Industrial customers by building renewable power sites at operational facilities in less densely populated areas and sell any excess power back to the grid.

Illinois shouldn't wait. Now, while there are incentives like government energy efficiency rebates, is the time to better understand how we actually use energy. Let's keep our great state ahead of the pack and go for the smart grid gold.

Daryl Dulaney

President and CEO of Siemens Industry Inc.

Buffalo Grove