October 25, 2012 | by Staff Writer

“Utility 2.0: ‘Perfect Power’” Work Session

Update: MyMCMedia offered live streaming of this work session on Thursday October 25.
The Montgomery County Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment (T and E) Committee’s work session with national leaders to discuss the possibility of establishing a pilot program in the County that could serve as a national model for how an electric utility should serve customers in the 21st Century. The discussion of “Utility 2.0” follows the recommendation of the Governor’s Reliability Task Force to entertain such a “pilot,” a concept that Council President Roger Berliner advanced in his testimony before the Task Force and with the Governor personally.

The T and E Committee, is chaired by Council President Berliner and includes Council-members Nancy Floreen and Hans Riemer is meeting in the Third Floor Council l Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville.

Utility 2.0 describes generally the need to transform the technology, customer interaction and the regulation of our electric utilities. The Galvin Electricity Initiative, founded by the former CEO of Motorola, advocates for “an electric revolution” to produce “perfect power”—reliable, efficient and clean electricity service. Using “micro-grids,” perfect power integrates the essential smart grid components—distributed generation, real-time pricing, smart technology, smart appliances, renewable energy, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and more.

“Our goal should be to position Montgomery County as a national pilot for a program that demonstrates what the utility of the future should look like—as recommended by the Governor’s Task Force,” said Council President Berliner. “There is no community that is more deserving of showcasing what a 21st Century utility can and should provide: greater reliability, cleaner energy, more efficient energy, and more consumer control. And the reality is that to bring this about does not require great changes in technology—it is the regulatory and institutional issues that pose the greatest challenge.”

Council President Berliner said that Utility 2.0 is not a program to replace Pepco. He said the new plan would require collaboration with Pepco and said it is essential that Pepco cooperate in establishment of the pilot program.

The briefing will be given by the Executive Director of the Energy Future Coalition; the President and COO of the Galvin Electricity Initiative; and the former Chairman of the Colorado Public Service Commission.