Congressman McCaul, High Tech Caucus Host
"Ultimately this will benefit every person in this country by more efficiently managing our energy consumption," said Rep. McCaul, founder of the High Tech Caucus. "Smart Grid is a win-win for the environment, the economy and national security because it gives us greater control over our energy supply and distribution. Blackouts and disruptions in service are less likely."
Smart grid technology will revolutionize the way energy is delivered. It increases efficiency, reliability and consumer choice. It is a vital tool for Homeland Security because of its ability to isolate problem areas from the rest of the grid. This allows energy providers to better handle man-made or natural disasters that affect energy grids.
Smart Grids are seen as the future of energy management and conservation in the United States. The City of Austin, TX, in Rep. McCaul’s district, is among the nation’s leaders. Austin Energy launched its Smart Grid in 2003, when it replaced 1/3 of its manual meters with smart meters that communicate via a wireless network. It currently manages 200,000 devices real time (smart meters, smart thermostats, and sensors across its service area) and expects to be supporting half a million devices by the end of this year.
Available funding for smart grid projects is on the rise. The recent Economic Stimulus bill provided $3.4 billion in smart-grid technology grants and $615 million for smart-grid demonstration projects through the DOE.
The goal of the Congressional High Tech Caucus is to build consensus on technology issues in the House and work across the aisle for the good of the industry.