Curious about smart grid projects in your state - or the state next door? We've just updated all 50 of our state smart grid toolkits. Each one is packed with energy-related projects, news and trends. You'll also find useful state-specific resources, including state energy agencies, utility and regulator listings, advocacy groups and incentive programs. Click inside to start your coast-to-coast tour.

Who knew something called quantum cryptography could play a role in protecting the grid from cyber thugs? A team at Los Alamos National Lab says they've demonstrated the concept successfully. Click for more on that, plus updates on smart grid demos focused on integrating renewables, assessing a transactive control system and bringing smart grid technologies into the real world.

A newly released audit from the Energy Department's Inspector General says millions of federal dollars slated for smart grid improvements were mismanaged. Click for details and to download the report.

The Department of Energy's Inspector General conducted an audit of the $700 million Smart Grid Demonstration Program funded by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This document contains the results of that audit, including concerns that DOE did not always manage the program effectively or efficiently.

An anti-smart-grid activist has written a new policy report that claims the stimulus funds set aside for smart meters were "misspent" and that Congress and ratepayers were deliberately misled about smart meter benefits. We've got a second report that provides a completely different perspective.

Further evidence of trouble in the EV world comes with the news that charismatic founder Shai Agassi is out as CEO at Better Place, which is "realigning." There's also a report that EV battery factories funded by stimulus dollars are sitting idle or operating well below capacity.

Columnist Michael Grunwald tells the story of President Obama's smart grid ambitions in an article published in Time Magazine. Snafus aside, Grunwald concludes the billions invested are making a difference.

The first city in the nation to receive smart grid funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is running out of money and time - with work still left to do. A report in the Glendale News-Press says the city's budget dramatically decreased funding in the final year of Glendale Water & Power's smart grid project, leading officials to ask the DOE for a deadline extension.

Solar panel maker Abound Solar, which had received $70 million from DOE's loan guarantee program, will shut down next week and file for bankruptcy. In its announcement Thursday, the Energy Department said the substantial drop in solar panel prices left Abound unable to continue as a cost-competitive producer.

In a new report, research firm GlobalData found the lack of permanency in new smart grid jobs and the number of contracts awarded to non-U.S. companies could thwart the government's intended Recovery Act objectives. But analyst Sankar Gupta does see a silver lining.

Many thought the stimulus money that went to smart grid projects would establish a firm basis for further progress. There would be enough real-life examples and lessons learned that other utilities could follow along with confidence. But lately we're hearing utilities are growing more cautious, not less. Are you seeing the same thing? That's this week's topic in our discussion forum. Please join in.

Massachusetts-based flywheel maker Beacon Power is the latest DOE Recovery Act loan recipient to file for bankruptcy. This comes just days after the White House announced it has ordered an independent probe of DOE's loan portfolio. Click inside for details.

Last week the DOE announced billions more in loan guarantees for renewable energy projects. Over the weekend DOE officials past and present were out defending its loan program, which has taken a beating in the wake of solar panel maker Solyndra's bankruptcy filing. And now we're hearing about yet another DOE loan recipient struggling with debt. Are these loan guarantees smart policy? That's this week's Tuesday Topic. Click inside for details.

Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, which services 22 counties in Virginia including portions of the Blue Ridge Mountains, has tapped Full Spectrum's FullMAX Broadband Wireless system for its private, wide-area smart grid communications network. Learn what's behind REC's decision.

GlobalData's report “US Smart Grid Stimulus - Unrealized Benefit to the Economy," provided by Research and Markets, analyzes how the US smart grid stimulus may not generate long-term benefits such as continued economic growth. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds have been used to support a variety of smart grid projects. The funding for smart grid technologies will be beneficial in the short term, but smart grid development over the long term will face difficulties in terms of investment and fundraising.