Smart Grid Stimulus: States Have Money Too – And SmartSynch Knows It

At any time now the DOE could start announcing how it’s going to allocate approximately $4 billion in Smart Grid stimulus funds – a pot of money that utilities large and small across the country have fixated on. But Jackson, Mississippi-based SmartSynch discovered that there’s Recovery Act money to be had close to home, too. In August the company was awarded $3.75 million from the state of Mississippi to install smart meters and energy efficiencies in public buildings.

The Smart Grid infrastructure company received the grant through Mississippi’s State Energy Program (SEP) allotment, which is Recovery Act money from the DOE. Under SEP, states and territories propose statewide plans that prioritize energy savings, create or retain jobs, increase the use of renewable energy, and reduce carbon pollution.

The Recovery Act designated $3.1 billion to the SEP to help promote energy efficiency and clean energy deployment, as well as to support local economic recovery.  The states start out with 50% of their total SEP allotment and once they meet reporting, oversight and accountability requirements set by the Recovery Act they get the other 50%.

Activities eligible for SEP funding include energy audits, building retrofits, education and training efforts, transportation programs to increase the use of alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles, and new financing mechanisms to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy investments.

   Quick Take: SmartSynch is absolutely right that Smart Grid companies ought to be looking to the states too. We’ve been reporting on the millions and millions of dollars that the DOE has been doling out to states for months now. Not just SEP funds, but also block grants for weatherization and money for training programs. Our Directory of Awards and State Stimulus Toolkits (linked below) are loaded with details and related resources.

More about Smart Grid stimulus money:

   Directory of Energy Awards

   State Stimulus Toolkits

   SmartSynch press release