Miami's mayor, Manny Diaz, has announced an energy initiative that proposes to use federal economic stimulus funds to help spur a $200 million investment in smart-grid technology and renewable energy over the next two years.
Energy Smart Miami would help Miami-Dade County consumers save money by giving them more choices in how they consume and conserve electrical power. It would also generate near-term demand for green collar jobs to support its implementation.
The backbone of Energy Smart Miami will be the deployment of more than 1 million advanced wireless smart meters to every home and most businesses in Miami-Dade County. These meters will give Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) customers more information and control over their electricity usage while also providing FPL with information that will enhance system efficiency and reliability.
Implementation of the smart meters will be based on open network architecture, allowing other providers to develop and deploy new applications.
‘The Energy Smart Miami initiative is an investment in the future of our city, our residents and our neighborhoods, and it is an important step toward creating the green jobs of the future and building a clean energy economy,’ says Diaz. ‘This initiative will contribute to the Obama administration's goals of investing in alternative and renewable energy, ending our addiction to foreign oil, addressing the global climate crisis and creating millions of new green jobs.’
Energy Smart Miami is estimated to generate demand for 800 to 1,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly involved in the deployment, during the two-year implementation period.
GE plans to supply key components of the project, which include smart meters and may extend to advanced applications and smarter control systems. Silver Spring Networks will provide field proven, open standards-based, secure wireless network communications. Cisco will help design and implement a secure and intelligent communications platform within the county's transmission and distribution grid and provide customers with home energy management information and controls.
SOURCE: City of Miami
