Duke Energy seeks federal funds for "smart grid"

Business First of Louisville, August 6, 2009

Duke Energy Corp. Thursday applied for $200 million in federal infrastructure funds to develop a "smart grid" in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.
The company also has sought $14 million in federal funds for smart grid transmission lines in North Carolina and South Carolina.
The smart grid allows utilities, such as Duke, to send signals to specially equipped appliances over transmission lines. The signals allow the utilities to tell the appliances to operate using less power during peak consumption times.
The U.S. Department of Energy will award $4.5 billion in smart grid grants nationwide, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke (NYSE: DUK) intends to transform its entire electricity-delivery infrastructure into a smart grid system, the company said in a news release.
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