EPRI Smart Grid Demonstrations: An Update

An assessment done four years into a seven-year program confirms the general effectiveness of demand-response, but identifies challenges with the business case for some technologies such as in-home displays. Conservation Voltage Reduction is proving to be an unanticipated cost-effective beneficial resource, while energy storage is found to be technically effective but still at the outer boundary of cost-effectiveness. With over two more years to go, the EPRI demonstration program will also assess virtual power plants and encourage more rapid smart grid standardization.