US may raise cap on grants for high-tech power grid

The Energy Department might revise its guidelines for $4.5 billion in smart grid grants after major electric utilities complained that the proposed $20 million-per-grant limit was too low to encourage commercial-scale deployment of advanced technologies. Utilities are saying that if the Obama administration doesn't raise the maximum grant size, it will fail to achieve its twin goals of creating jobs and improving the efficiency and reliability of the electricity grid because it will only stimulate a series of small pilot and demonstration programs.

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