In 2011, smart meters will be fully deployed to SDG&E's million+ customers.   The rest of the country is following suit with mass deployments of smart meters and creations of Smart Grids, microgrids, and other forms of "intelligent" two-way electric distribution systems.   What does all of this mean for consumers?  And how will consumers fare in this new energy service world?   The California PUC put those questions to stakeholders in its effort to fashion utility Smart Grid deployment plans.   Here's UCAN's take.

Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN) has been actively engaged in Smart Grid issues since 2004. In 2006 it co-commissioned the University of San Diego-authored San Diego Smart Grid Study with SDG&E. In 2007, it fashioned a settlement with SDG&E for the deployment of smart meters throughout SDG&E's service area and has actively participated in this deployment through the Technical Advisory Panel created in that settlement. Moreover, one of UCAN's projects is the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. It is among the nation's pre-eminent privacy rights organizations and has presented privacy-related analysis to the Commission since its inception in 1992.

In UCAN's perspective, a Smart Grid deployment plan should be the product of an assemblage of the disparate pieces of the Smart Grid puzzle, i.e., everything that needs to be in place for a smooth functioning Smart Grid, to facilitate utility and customer choices, and allocates those investment decisions over time. The longer it takes the Smart Grid to be complete, i.e., fully deployed, the more uncertainty today about equipment options, availability, performance and prices. Therefore, in developing a Smart Grid deployment plan, it is important for the utilities and Commission to understand long term trends in technology and costs and the interactions between Smart Grid components and the utility and customer investment choices at each decision node along the Smart Grid deployment timeline.

UCAN's 66-page comments to the CPUC are focused upon six elements:

1. Nature and Use of Utility Deployment Plans

2. Price & Usage Data

3. Quantifiable Metrics

4. Interoperability Guidelines

5. Consumer Protection principles to ensure consumer acceptance

6. Privacy/Security Requirements

Numbers 5 & 6 are amongst the most notable.  For the first time, they present a comprehensive set of consumer protection principles that should guide the Smart Grid era.  And they survey what other countries are doing to protect consumer privacy in this new data-intensive energy paradigm.

To read UCAN's comments, click the file attachment below.