This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

June 26, 2013

Smart Grid, Distributed Energy to Strengthen Grid in Hoboken, New Jersey

The Energy Department announced on June 13 that it will partner with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities; the City of Hoboken, New Jersey; and the Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G) to help develop and assess strategies for improving the reliability and resiliency of the local electric grid in Hoboken. Recognizing the destructive potential of major weather events such as Hurricane Sandy, the collaboration will help Hoboken in its efforts to rebuild and upgrade its electricity infrastructure by delivering a strategic design that identifies priority energy needs and energy system functions for various outage durations, evaluates potential system improvements, and estimates cost.

Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding, the Energy Department will help the City of Hoboken and PSE&G implement the Energy Surety Design Methodology (ESDM), a quantitative risk-based assessment tool that allows communities to evaluate their regional energy needs, identify advanced solutions to improve the reliability and resiliency of their electric grids, and understand the most cost-effective strategies for system upgrades. Developed at Sandia National Laboratories, the ESDM relies mainly on the use of advanced smart grid technologies and the integration of distributed energy resources such as backup generators, solar power, and stored energy. Previous applications of the ESDM have shown enhanced grid reliability and resiliency, improved integration of renewable and distributed energy, and cost-effectiveness. See the Energy Department press release.