Maryland smart-meter rejection draws local interest
Maryland's Public Service Commission on Monday killed a utility's plan to install millions of smart electric and natural-gas meters, according to online energy publication ClimateWire.
Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. wanted to spend $835 million, including $200 million in federal stimulus money, to install 1.4 million electric meters and 730,000 gas meters that would allow back-and-forth communication between the company and ratepayers. The meters would enable programs that encourage consumers to conserve power by cutting appliance use in peak-demand periods, ClimateWire said.
The Maryland commission's decision caught the attention of consumer advocates in Nevada, where electric utility NV Energy has its own plan to install 1.45 million smart meters. The utility would use $138 million in federal stimulus funds for its $301 million smart-meter initiative. The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada is considering NV Energy's proposal now, and will issue a decision in the case by the end of July.
Smart meters have proven controversial in states including California, Texas and Connecticut.
The city of San Francisco petitioned the California Public Utilities Commission on June 18 to halt a 9.7 million-meter installation that Pacific Gas & Electric is conducting. The initiative is a little more than half complete.
NV Energy officials have said they're watching smart-meter rollouts elsewhere and have crafted plans to avoid other companies' missteps.
Before the company deploys a single meter, it plans to install heavy firewalls and test communications systems for security and privacy. The company will test its devices beyond the quality-control checks performed at the meters' manufacturing plants, and it will give sample meters to a third party for independent analysis.
Through a 10,000-meter pilot program, NV Energy will study how its back-office and communications systems work with the new devices. Meters won't be united with billing functions until tests are complete.
Once the 10,000-meter pilot program checks out, NV Energy would proceed to yet another pilot with 120,000 additional customers in Southern Nevada. It'll be the same testing, conducted to make sure the company's safeguards work on a larger scale. The test meters would go live by April. In fall 2011, NV Energy would begin seeking customers to participate in optional peak-pricing trials.
Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at
jrobison @reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512.
