• On February 1, 2012, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a smart meter opt-out plan proposed by PG&E in response to numerous customer complaints regarding the potentially harmful effects and data privacy issues allegedly caused by smart meters. The plan will allow customers, for any reason, to opt out of receiving a smart meter or to have their current smart meter replaced with an older analog meter. Many in the industry see such opt-out plans as a step back for smart grid implementation. Customers electing to opt out will pay an initial fee of $75.00 and a monthly charge of $10.00 to cover PG&E’s added costs for replacement and physical meter reading. The CPUC’s order is available here.
  • The Michigan Public Service Commission (MI PSC) has opened an investigation into the deployment of smart meters by electric utilities. Noting that consumers and municipalities have expressed concern about smart meters, the MI PSC has ordered all regulated electric utilities to submit information to the MI PSC by March 16, 2012, on a number of issues, including (1) the utility’s existing plans for deployment of smart meters in its service territory, (2) any scientific information known to the utility that bears on the safety of smart meters, and (3) an explanation of the steps that the utility intends to take to safeguard the privacy of the information gathered. Comments are due April 16, 2012. The MI PSC order can be found here.
  • Applications for the Department of Energy (DOE) “Smart Grid Data Access” Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) are due March 1, 2012. DOE will provide up to $8 million to promote partnerships between utilities and third-party technology innovators for the development and implementation of applications that provide access to electricity consumption data. More information is available here.