Jobs in Dallas TX through Smart Grid Denied Funding
A smart grid project that would have created several jobs in Dallas TX has been denied federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The U.S. Department of Energy recently awarded 100 grants totaling $3.4 billion for electric grid upgrade projects, and while other cities, such as Houston, were granted funding, Dallas did not receive any of the federal money.
Oncor, a power line operator in Dallas, would have used the funding to install advanced meters and create a smart grid, allowing customers to see their consumption in real time and help the company fix problems more quickly.
Unfortunately for local residents, the fact that Oncor did not receive any funding means that customers will have to fit the bill for their smart grid upgrades, according to an article by The Dallas Morning News. However, a fee on customer utility bills already covers the cost of installing advanced meters. Customers will pay about $2.21 per month for 11 years for the new meters. The total cost of the upgrade is $686 million.
About a total of 390 companies competed for the available grants. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. in Houston will receive a $200 million grant. That company attributed its win to the critical infrastructure the power line operator supports, such as pipelines and refineries that make and deliver fuel for the rest of the country.
Officials have estimated the smart grid initiative could save consumers more than $20 billion on utility bills during the next 10 years. Carol Browner, director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, said investments in smart grids would support "tens of thousands" of new jobs.
"The American taxpayers will get a very high return on these projects as we were able to select the very best projects," she said.